PEOPLE POWER! WORCESTERSHIRE COMMUNITIES HELP POWER RETAIL STORE
28 January 2011
Village Halls and Countrywide
Green Energy UK is helping rural retailer Countrywide to power its Evesham store, thanks partly to green electricity generated by Worcestershire communities. Village halls in Elmley Castle and Hill and Moor have been fitted out with Photovoltaic (PV) panels which are generating electricity that, together with other green electricity from Green Energy UK, is helping to power everything in the shop and is also creating an income for local community initiatives.
The PV panels are converting light into renewable electricity and can generate electricity even on the dullest wintry days because all they need is daylight, not sunlight. Elmley Castle Village Hall has 48 panels and is generating in excess of 9000-kilowatt hours of electricity per year, and Hill and Moor Village Hall has six panels making 3300-killowatt hours of electricity per year. This is enough electricity for the halls’ needs, and any excess is sold to Green Energy UK who puts it into the National Grid. At the other end, Countrywide is buying green electricity from Green Energy UK that powers everything in the Evesham store - from the tills and computers to fridges, freezers and lighting.
Julie Jones-Ford, Renewables Manager at Countrywide, says: “Sustainability is very important to Countrywide and it’s fantastic that, through Green Energy UK, some of the green power we are using is sourced locally.”
George Mackison, treasurer of Elmley Castle Village Hall and operations manager of Herts and Worcs charity Welcome to our Future, says: “The project has been a real success. Through grants we obtained from the Lottery, the local authority and landfill tax initiatives, we have been able to deal with the issue of rising energy costs and make very real decisions that have helped us reduce energy waste and provide the village hall and even our local post office with free heat and power, as well as creating an income for the hall.”
Chris Roberts, a retired accountant who is treasurer for Hill and Moor Village Hall, says: “George shared his experience and knowledge with other village halls and it made sense for us to do something similar with our hall. We are able to use the income we’re making from selling the electricity to improve the hall and its facilities.”
Green Energy UK generator specialist Sharon Watkins, says: “Right across the country people like George and Chris are helping us generate clean electricity from some amazing sources. It’s thanks to the initiative of our generators like these communities in Worcestershire that we are able to offer our customers clean electricity year after year.”
Countrywide has recently teamed up with Green Energy UK to offer store customers the opportunity to reduce their carbon footprint by switching to Green Energy UK’s green electricity tariff for their homes or businesses. The retailer can also provide advice to any of its customers looking to generate their own power.
Julie Jones-Ford continues: “The countryside offers great opportunities for homeowners and businesses to generate power using anything from biomass boilers and solar panels to animal waste and wind turbines. Countrywide offers a full range of renewable energy options, and can give expert advice on every aspect of generating sustainable electricity and the savings that can be made. The Evesham Countrywide store is a good example of how a rural retailer such as Countrywide can work with an innovative organisation such as Green Energy UK and the local community with great success. I applaud Green Energy UK and the local community for setting a good example for others to follow.”
