A local energy firm has launched its new home energy efficiency project to residents in the Burnham-On-Sea area.
Burnham & Weston Energy Community Interest Company launched the project in the Town Council Chambers, as previewed here.
The company says the event saw a good turnout of local residents keen to learn how retrofitting can help them make their homes warmer, greener and cheaper to run.
Burnham and Weston Energy’s latest project will offer 10 free retrofit assessments for homes that represent the most common housing types in Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge.
These assessments will be conducted by the Building Energy Experts and provide expert recommendations on improving home energy efficiency, covering everything from draught-proofing and insulation to heating system upgrades.
Jake Burnyeat, Director of Burnham & Weston Energy, told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “Our aim is to develop retrofit models tailored to the area’s most common housing types — or ‘archetypes.’”
“The assessments will identify the energy-saving upgrades, with the findings shared with the wider community.”
“By making these models clear, scalable and replicable, we hope to create a local resource to support homeowners and landlords in making informed improvements to their homes.”
The event featured a panel of local experts, beginning with Cllr Lesley Millard, Trustee of the Burnham and Highbridge Green Team CIO, who opened the evening by discussing the council’s Climate and Ecology Action Plan and the transformation of the working group into a registered charity.
Cllr Millard said: “The Burnham and Highbridge Green Team were happy to support this event. We have been working with Burnham & Weston Energy for the last 2 years as they provide information to help people reduce their energy bills by making their home more energy efficient. We are looking forward to continuing to work in partnership to improve the lives of our residents by reducing their energy bills.”
Following that, the Centre for Energy Equality explained its role in supporting the project through their Fairer Warmth platform. This platform analyses a wide range of housing data—such as EPC ratings, building ages, and construction types—to build a detailed picture of local housing.
During the event, Chris Gaskell from the Centre for Energy Equality also explained how residents can use the app to check their home’s energy rating, access tailored advice, find grants and register for a free retrofit assessment.
The Building Energy Experts provided an overview of what a retrofit assessment involves, detailing how it can help homeowners upgrade their homes to be more energy-efficient. Lendology CIC closed the evening by explaining their loan scheme, supported by local councils, which provides financing options for energy efficiency and renewable upgrades following retrofit assessments.
If you missed the event but want a free retrofit assessment, you can still register your interest by signing up to the Fairer Warmth platform by Sunday, March 16th. Please click here to sign up.
Local homeowners who wish to get involved in the project more generally or learn more can contact Ella Messetter from the Burnham & Weston Energy project team via email at on ella@burnhamandwestonenergy.co.uk
Burnham and Weston Energy CIC is a local energy enterprise which generates electricity from the sun and income to support community projects in the Burnham and Weston area, support the net zero transition and help local households struggling with fuel poverty.
