Lighter Later Campaign

Lighter Later update from 10:10 on Vimeo.

Carbon Fast for Lent

What does the Lord require of you?


To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8) 

Climate change is hitting the world's poorest people now. They've done the least to cause climate change, but feel the heat the most. Increased floods, droughts and storms are devastating lives as food, homes and livelihoods are washed away.

It's difficult to see how our energy-hungry lifestyles cause suffering for people around the world we may never meet, but the Lord invites us to walk humbly.

Join us to act justly in the face of climate change: fast from carbon, pray and cry out for climate justice.

This is from the Tearfund website - to find out more click here

Make Money by Going Green - Better than an ISA!

Here is some more information about the new government scheme to enable us to move away from our dependence on non-renewable energy sources. It is from the Ice Energy website.

Ed Miliband on-behalf of the Government published the consultation for the Renewable Heat Incentive, which is intended to be launched in April 2011. Heating accounts for 47% of the UK’s carbon dioxide emissions and 60% of average domestic energy bills. In order for the UK to meet its carbon reduction obligations 12% of UK heat is required to come from renewable sources. The RHI could save up to 60 million tonnes of carbon dioxide by 2020. The RHI is not only intended to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, but also to increase the security of supply of UK energy – in 2008 the UK imported around 25% of its natural gas with a projected increase to 60% by 2020.

Funding the RHI
The RHI powers in the Energy Act 2008 enable the introduction of a new levy on fossil fuel suppliers who supply fossil fuel to consumers for the purpose of generating heat.

Who can receive the RHI
Houses and buildings which currently use conventional fossil fuel for heating, such as gas, heating oil or coal, will be able to claim the RHI if they switch to renewable technologies. The RHI will be available to householders, local authorities and social landlords as well as the public, industrial and commercial sectors. The RHI is applicable to the whole of the UK except for Northern Ireland, which will have its own powers to enable a similar scheme.

Administration
Ofgem will play a leading role in administering the scheme and will be making the payments to owners. Domestic heat pumps will require an installer who is certified under the Microgeneration Certification Scheme. Once the system has been installed and commissioned, proof will need to sent to Ofgem so that the applicant can be formerly registered. Ofgem will begin paying the incentive, in the form of an annual lump sum credited to the owners bank account.

Eligibility
Useful heat generation is supported by the RHI i.e. space heating and water heating for the home. All installations after 15th July 2009 will be seen as a “new installation” and will be eligible for the RHI. Systems installed before this date will need to be replaced (or increased in size). Only heat pumps with MCS Product and Installation accreditation will be eligible.

Energy Efficiency and Deeming
In order to prevent wasteful heat production, a basic minimum level of energy efficiency will be assumed for existing homes when the heat load is deemed:
- At least 125mm loft insulation
- Cavity wall filled where applicable

Payments will be based on a deemed heat load for domestic installations. This will prevent the costs associated with metering, and also the possibility of “heat dumping”, whereby homeowners purposefully waste heat in order to receive more RHI payment. Each installations tariff entitlement is established by multiplying the proposed tariff per kWh with a deemed heat requirement (number of kWh per year). This is established through an assessment process based on SAP at the beginning of the project.

Tariff
Tariffs have been designed to cover the costs of:
- Upfront capital cost
- Non-financial barriers
- Return on investment (12% for heat pumps – better than an ISA!!)

The proposed tariff levels for domestic installations are the following:

Scale Proposed tariff (p/kWh) Tariff lifetime
Ground source heat pumps (Up to 45kW) 7p/kWh for 23 years
Air source heat pumps (Up to 45kW) 7.5p/kWh for 18 years

The feed-in tariff for electricity was confirmed as being exempt of income tax. We expect the same for the RHI although this is yet to be confirmed.

The tariffs will be linked to inflation and Guaranteed for18/23 years.

Interaction with other policies
The Government has confirmed that grants received at the domestic level will not be required to be repaid. We are therefore in a window of opportunity at present!

Good News for the Environment

Press release from the Department of Energy and Climate Change today:

“Today’s greenhouse gas emissions statistics are encouraging and show a continued decline in greenhouse gas emissions of nearly 2% during 2008. We are now clearly exceeding our Kyoto target of 12.5% below 1990 levels. UK emissions are now 19.4% below 1990 levels without emissions trading or 22% including emissions trading. The UK is demonstrating the kind of year-on-year reductions that set an example in the world community.

“We are determined to strengthen and sustain the momentum behind the low-carbon transition in the UK, supporting investment in low carbon technology, creating green jobs and providing a healthier future for everyone.

“Building on the Copenhagen Accord is a priority for the government and we will increase our efforts to encourage others not only to associate with it but to accelerate its implementation.”

Hope for Planet Earth

If you’ve not been to The Barn at Chilton do try it sometime. With its comfortable facilities it proved to be an ideal venue for a double billing on Sunday in 31st January. This was organised by Lesley Fellows and it attracted a good turnout from our various parishes. First on the agenda was a half-hour seminar on Climate Change given by Dr Martin Hodson, Principal Tutor in Christian Rural & Environmental Studies at Oxford Brookes University. This topic increasingly occupies our thoughts, and after the recent disappointing outcome from Copenhagen, many of us really feel the need to improve our understanding of the issues involved.

Dr Hodson gave a factual outline of the various factors linked to climate change, illustrating with graphs the changes that have been occurring, with the prospect of what this could lead to in the future. Included in the talk was the retreat of ice from the Arctic Ocean, the prospect of the future loss of low-lying land (as in Bangladesh) to the sea with mass migrations of humans to more habitable places, and also the loss of biodiversity. Tackling the problem was not simply achieved through securing international agreements controlling CO2 emissions, but also through us in our individual lives as Christians. To that end we were provided with the Tearfund pamphlet “The Carbon Fast” with useful tips on how we could live a non-wasteful, energy-saving Lent. The talk elicited some thoughtful questions from the floor, testimony to the interest it provoked.

After the coffee break we continued with the second part, a Eucharist led by Lesley, in which the prevailing theme in the prayers was of our need to cherish the Earth. It neatly complemented the preceding talk and was very well received by those who attended. Thank you to Lesley for arranging this.

Thank-you to David Chetham for writing this article. There is a new blog for the Diocese looking at environmental issues here.

Radiation and Reason - part 1

Wade Allison is one of the Church Wardens of St Mary's Ludgershall in the Bernwode Benefice. He has written a book called Radiation and Reason, debunking some of the myths about nuclear power. I am thoroughly enjoying reading it, it is easy to read and very informative. Only up to chapter three, mind, but here's something that I hadn't understood that I would like to share. Wade is talking about the effects of methane and carbon dioxide on global warming, but explains that the warming itself produces further global warming for three reasons (p17):

1. The water vapour in the atmosphere causes global warming and this naturally increases as the earth gets warmer,

2. As the temperature rises the polar ice caps melt and hence the earth as a whole is darker and absorbs rather than reflects more of the sun's rays,

3. Increasing the temperature means that the plant material that was previously frozen in the polar ice caps starts to decompose, emitting greenhouse gases.

Wade's book has been reviewed in the Guardian, but Wade tells me that some of the facts are wrong, so read it with that health warning.

Hope for Planet Earth

Would you like to know more about Climate Change?
We have invited Dr. Martin Hodson, an environmental biologist, author and lecturer to come and give a seminar followed by a question and answer session on Sunday 31st January at 10am at ‘The Barn’, Chilton.

This will be followed by refreshments and a Eucharist for those wishing to stay.
For more details contact Revd Dr Lesley Fellows

The Wave

Three of us from the Bernwode Benefice - myself, Jennie and Peter Symes - joined the Wave on 5th December to call on  the governments ahead of the Copenhagen conference to get a deal that keeps the world temperature to within 2 degrees Celsius above pre industrial levels.

I was particularly moved by the service beforehand, in the Methodist Central Hall, where the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams encouraged us to see this as an opportunity be human and not to panic, to have hope. This was our corporate act of repentance:

Act of Repentance “The Wave” Service, 5th. December, 2009

Loving God, we confess that we have sinned through thoughtlessness and greed. By the destruction we have caused and the actions we have failed to take.

When we look you in the eye, do not forgive us if we excuse ourselves for our ignorance, for our weakness. For our own deliberate fault.

We are truly sorry.

We repent of all that we have wasted and the bounty we have squandered. Knowing that it is the poor who have paid the greater price.

Create a new willingness within us to turn back the tide of impending judgement, to honour international agreements and to play our part in your future.

Grant that we may serve You in newness of life, to the glory of Your name through the wonder of your creation. Amen.