news from the council
broadland energy survey set to cut fuel bills
Hundreds of families and businesses across Broadland could save money thanks to an innovative energy survey carried out in the district.
Broadland District Council has used a plane equipped with thermal imaging equipment to find out which homes and businesses are losing the most heat - or are far too cold.
Some experts say a typical home wastes hundreds of pounds on lost heat each year - mainly through lofts, windows and walls.
The five-day survey is now complete and Broadland is awaiting the results to identify the worst hotspots and coldspots across the district.
Once the data has been studied individual businesses and homeowners will be informed of the results and offered advice as to what to do next.
Andy Jarvis, head of environmental services at Broadland said the council had a well-established policy of encouraging and helping local families and businesses to cut energy and save money.
"We have attracted many firms and millions of pounds worth of investment into the district over the years and it is obviously in the interest of those firms and the local Broadland workforce that those businesses thrive.
"Cutting down on energy use makes sense at all times and in the current recession helping a firm to cut its costs could mean all the difference between it closing and keeping open.
"We have a wide range of grants available for homeowners and businesses and we see this as a cost effective way to help them to save money, secure local job prospects ands reduce the business community carbon footprint in the district".
Mr Jarvis said Broadland was one of the first local authorities to carry out such an energy survey and it was attracting interest from other councils around the country.
"The original approach was to identify businesses which were losing heat. We wanted to pick them out so we could show the information to them and say 'do you realise what you are losing' and direct them towards advice and grants.
"As the project went on our officers realised the maps could also be used to identify homes which were also wasting energy - or might not be heated well enough."
Householders, including the elderly, whose homes are found to be too cold because of the cost of fuel, will be offered advice about electricity charges and benefits available.
Cllr Simon Woodbridge, leader of Broadland Council, said: "I think it is a really worthwhile project, offering huge value for public money. It will effectively pay for itself within a few weeks in terms of the sums of money we can help people to save.
"Tackling the threat of climate change is an ambitious project but it is one that we have to address. This survey has the potential of producing some very worthwhile results."
Broadland Council used a firm in Leicestershire to carry out the survey of more than 54,000 homes and businesses across the district at a cost of £30,000.
The company which supplied the plane operated a policy in which they offset the carbon emissions from the flights.
Released on 27/03/2009
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| email: news@broadland.gov.uk |