Introduction
The Awards ceremony
Spreading the word
Supporting our winners
UK
UK schools
International
UK
UK schools
International
Judges
Awards Team
Funders
Partners and consultants
The UK 2008 winners were:
Charity and community award
Global Action Plan, London
Trewin Restorick
Bringing energy efficiency to the workplace and beyond
Global Action Plan is a charity which works with businesses and other organisations to reduce energy consumption and waste production through behavioural change. Since 1997 it has trained and motivated 1,200 people in 69 organisations as 'Environment Champions', indirectly influencing over 86,000 employees. The work has promoted team working, and resulted in estimated reductions of 4.4 GWh/year energy and 1,600 tonnes/year waste for participating organisations. Similar behavioural change outside the workplace is also widely reported.
Business award
Kensa, Cornwall
Richard Freeborn
Design and manufacture of heat pumps for easy installation
Kensa Engineering, designs, manufactures, and tests heat pump systems for installation throughout the UK. Most are small-scale ground-source heat pumps (up to 32 kW), which are supplied in kit form so that they can be installed by non-specialist plumbers and builders. Larger and specialist systems are also supplied. To date over 1,000 systems with a total capacity of over 16 MW have been sold, providing about 26 GWh/year of heat and saving 3,600 tonnes/year CO2.
Local Authority award
Leeds City Council, West Yorkshire
Alan Jones
Continually improving efficiency in a large housing stock
Leeds City Council is the second largest Local Authority in the UK. Its Fuelsavers programme developed a strategy which has improved the energy efficiency of housing by over 21% since 1996. It currently helps 25,000 households per year, providing major insulation installations, improved heating and glazing upgrades. A new programme is providing home energy assessment visits to 32,000 homes. Improved energy metering and condensing boilers have been installed in council buildings, and a combined-heat-and-power unit at a sports centre.
Second prize winners were:
Charity and community award
Energy Agency, Ayrshire, Scotland
Michael Carr
Using a community wind fund to improve energy efficiency of homes
The Energy Agency in Ayrshire has used a community fund from the Hadyard Hill wind farm to promote energy efficiency very intensively in three local villages. This has resulted in very high take-up rates (over 63% of households) for major energy efficiency measures such as cavity wall and loft insulation, as well as specialised insulation and solar water-heating in some households. Energy supply companies are now funding the Energy Agency to replicate the work in other villages and deprived urban areas.
Business award
Dulas, Powys, Wales
Ian Draisey
Diverse renewable energy services from employee-owned business
Dulas, based in mid-Wales, is a 25-year-old employee-owned business. Its work includes include micro-hydro (design and installation); wood-fired heating (design, installation and management) and wind (monitoring and environmental impact assessment, as well as installation of small systems). In solar energy, Dulas installs PV systems in the UK and provides wholesale supplies to other installers, and also supplies about three quarters of the world demand for PV-powered vaccine refrigerators, to organisations such as the WHO and UNICEF.
Local Authority award
Arun District Council, West Sussex
Roger Wood
District council brings energy efficiency throughout its operations
Arun District Council has improved energy efficiency in its own estate (using extensive metering, and behavioural campaigns in partnership with the trade union); in council housing (through a continuing upgrade policy that has reached 99% of homes); in houses with multiple occupants (through support to landlords and liaison with student groups); and in religious organisations (through the Ecofaith group). Specific council policies and the Arun Carbon Management Action Plan have led and coordinated this work.
