Jun 26 2012
An on-going Kingston University research project which investigates whether members of a community can be facilitated to deliberately debate, develop and adopt new low energy norms, practices and lifestyles is marking its first anniversary.
The project has received the backing of Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Ed Davey, who said community action in generating clean, local energy and using it efficiently is critical to Britain’s ambition to create a low carbon economy. “This drive to change can’t just come from Government or the big energy companies because, let’s be honest, people sometimes find it difficult to trust them,” he said. “People are influenced by their friends, their neighbours, the church and local community groups – so unless we do things differently at a community level, I don’t think we’ll be able to make the changes we must make if we’re to tackle fuel poverty and lower our energy usage in Britain.”
Mr Davey was speaking at an event to mark the first anniversary of the Smart Communities project – a programme launched by Kingston University to help borough residents develop ‘green’ habits and reduce their energy consumption.
Project leader Professor Ruth Rettie, from the Behaviour and Practice Research Group at Kingston Business School, said the partners and participants, which included a local school and more than 350 households in the Kingston area, had wholeheartedly embraced the ideals behind Smart Communities. “We have been overwhelmed by what the community has been able to achieve just by working together,” she said. “Everyone who has signed up has received a free energy monitor, people have been eager to adopt greener practices, many have come to the energy workshops we set up, or had energy audits carried out on their homes – and some have even hosted a thermal imaging party.”
Local resident Peter Wood was one of the first people to get involved in the project, eager to make his household more energy efficient. “We joined Smart Communities because our bills were way too high and we thought we ought to know what electricity we were using,” he said.
Fiona Pullen, another local resident, said the project made her feel she was doing her bit for the environment. “As individuals, people often feel they can’t make much of a difference, but as part of Smart Communities you really feel that you’re all doing something,” she added.
Mr Davey stressed that what was ‘smart’ about the project was that the whole community had realised that the cheapest energy was energy that wasn’t used. “Unless people feel it’s normal to worry about energy efficiency, we can’t make the giant step change that’s needed,” he added. “Projects like Smart Communities, which are actively finding ways to change perceptions and behaviour, are exactly what we want to see right across the country – and Kingston is definitely leading the way.”