Community Energy Fortnight is now in its third year. Its aim is to ignite an energy revolution that places communities at its heart and strives for clean, affordable and secure energy systems for all. The Our Plymouth Energy Champions in partnership with Plymouth Energy Community have been working hard to help their communities reach this goal so what better time to reflect on what they have achieved so far. Darin Halifax shares their achievements.

How do you turn 33 into £160,000?

The 4.30 at Haydock maybe… Roulette? 

Or you could support 33 volunteers to assist people to save a total of £160,000 on their energy bills.

As part of the Cities of Service funded Our Plymouth Energy Champions project, Plymouth City Council is working with the Plymouth Energy Community (a cooperative that gives the people of Plymouth the power to transform how they buy, use and even generate power in the city) to encourage people to save energy and money by either switching provider or by implementing straight forward energy management measures at home.

Training is provided to volunteers who gather up their new found skills and are “let loose” at community events in Plymouth and the results have been incredible.

The first version of the project aims to enable volunteers to have an energetic conversation with over 2,700 households in Plymouth in just 18 months. That’s one in every 40 households in Britain’s Ocean City. Even more incredible is that if a household takes up the advice - and we estimate at least half of them will - the average saving is £120 per household per year. And some people are saving much more than that. 

And it’s all down to a conversation with a very nice volunteer in the glorious surroundings of Plymouth. Sounds too good to be true? I know a couple of thousand people who will tell you it isn’t.