March Edition
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Coventry’s Strategic Energy Partnership is six months in and is already beginning to have a positive impact in the city.
Coventry City Council has joined forces with E.ON to launch an innovative 15-year partnership which will see the two organisations collaborate to revolutionise energy usage in Coventry for the benefit of local people, the environment and the wider economy.
Four themes are driving the partnership – clean local energy, jobs and skills, innovation and scale and community benefits and lots of work has gone on to plan for projects over the next 12 months with a forward view over the next five years.
Councillor Jim O’Boyle, Cabinet Member for Jobs, Regeneration and Climate Change, at Coventry City Council, said, “This is really completely innovative and no other city in the country is doing this. It will help Coventry move ahead with a range of projects that the Council would not have been able to achieve on its own.”
“E.ON is based in Coventry and has been for almost 30 years, and it brings expertise, knowledge and skills. The partnership will also bring finance from the private sector so we will be able to quickly move forward on a range of schemes to benefit the city.”
“Of course in Coventry there is already lots going on including the installation of hundreds of electric charge points, a new a state-of-the art new materials recycling facility, Coventry Very Light Rail and the fact that we will be the country’s first all-electric bus city. But there is room for more, much more. And of course it's all important because this is an area which will support future green jobs.”
Fifteen projects are currently in development including five major anchor projects including rooftop solar at a number of schools across the city and moving away from the use of fossil fuels to power the Council’s vehicle fleet. The partnership will also be supporting retrofit projects across the and will support community projects, and activities in schools.
Look out for more details on projects in future editions.
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A training and employment scheme designed to help the West Midlands go green has made a positive impact in the region.
The scheme has reskilled local people and employed them to work on one of the city’s largest social housing improvement projects.
Thanks to £23.9 million pounds of funding secured by Coventry City Council and Citizen, the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) project aims to help over 2,000 of the city's most vulnerable and low-income families reduce their energy bills.
Cllr Jim O'Boyle, Cabinet Member for Jobs, Regeneration and Climate Change, at Coventry City Council, said: "It's vital that we look at every opportunity to help people develop new green skills and this is an ideal scheme especially as the need to retrofit and design more sustainable homes will grow and grow.
"As a city we are taking all the right steps to lead on the green industrial revolution and this partnership between Coventry College, Citizen and Dyson is really positive. I'm delighted that local students are benefitting."
Coventry homeowners and landlords can make their homes warmer, more comfortable, and cheaper to heat through free or reduced-price energy saving measures as part of a government scheme.
The City Council has secured £2.8m from the Government's Home Upgrade Grant (HUG) scheme to improve homes that are not connected to the mains gas grid.
Upgrade measures include different types of insulation, air source heat pumps, solar panels, and building control technology. The aim is to help lower-income households across Coventry to save money and cut carbon emissions.
E.ON, Coventry's Strategic Energy Partner, is the approved provider for the improvements, with the energy advice charity Act on Energy providing additional services.
Cllr Jim O'Boyle, Cabinet Member for Jobs, Regeneration and Climate Change, said, "I'm really pleased that we have secured this funding and by contracting with our strategic energy partner we have spent less on the commissioning process which means even more cash will be available for home upgrades.”
Coventry City Council’s Cabinet has accepted over £1.6m to deliver a programme called the Business Energy Advice Service (BEAS).
The BEAS programme would see the Council take advantage of the external funding to help business across the city achieve their sustainability goals.
Funded by Government and channelled through the West Midlands Combined Authority, the programme will enable businesses across the region to access expert advice and financial support.
Central to the scheme will be energy audits that will help firms pinpoint key areas in which they can improve their energy efficiency and reduce costs.
Cllr Jim O’Boyle, Cabinet Member for Jobs, Regeneration and Climate Change, said:
“This project has the potential to have an impact on our city. Not only will it help improve the energy efficiency of these firms, but it’ll also help them save money now and in the future.”
The development company behind the landmark regeneration of Coventry’s city centre, Shearer Property Regen Ltd (SPRL),has obtained planning consent from the Council.
SPRL, a partnership between award-winning housebuilder The Hill Group (Hill) and commercial specialist Shearer Property Group (SPG), has been given the green light for the first phase of the highly anticipated City Centre South (CCS) project.
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Coventry City Council’s accepting up to £35m funding for the Coventry and Warwick Gigapark investment zone next week.
One of four sites within the Coventry and Warwick Gigapark investment , the West Midlands Gigafactory is the UK’s Centre of Electrification. It is a pioneering centre of excellence for battery technology development and manufacturing which will power Coventry and the UK’s electrified future.
Coventry City Council's initial £23m of funding will deliver highways and infrastructure works to accelerate the development of the site and prepare it for occupation by a battery manufacturer and the associated supply .
The Green Business Podcast is a series of audio episodes that explores how different businesses have reduced their carbon footprint.
Each episode provides practical tips and inspiration for companies looking to become more sustainable. The podcast highlights not only the environmental benefits but also the economic advantages of going green.
It's a great resource for businesses wanting to make a positive impact on the environment
Global Recycling Day – 18 March
Created to encourage and focus on why recycling is important and how we can reuse the precious resources we have without taking more from the environment. Check out their website for facts and figures on recycling and how you can take part to look after the planet for future generations.
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Coventry City Council’s Reuse & Recycle top tips
Did you know that every year each home in Coventry produces over 900kg of waste? That's the equivalent to a small family car!
If you add together all household waste we handle each year, it would weigh about 123,000 tonnes. That's why it is a massive issue, and the facts show that waste has an effect on climate change and on our daily lives.
What can you do to help?
Make sure that you know which bin your waste should go in by visiting our A-Z of rubbish and recycling.
More information on recycling tips can be found on our website.
World Water Day - 22 March
World Water Day, held on 22 March every year since 1993, is an annual United Nations Observance focusing on the importance of freshwater.
World Water Day celebrates water and raises awareness of the 2.2 billion people living without access to safe water. It is about taking action to tackle the global water crisis. A core focus of World Water Day is to support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030.
Every year, UN-Water — the UN’s coordination mechanism on water and sanitation — sets the theme for World Water Day. In 2023, the focus was on Accelerating Change. In 2024, the theme will be Leveraging Water for Peace. Previous themes can be found on UN-Water website.
For regular updates subscribe to our newsletter. To get in touch with the Council regarding climate change and sustainability, including featuring in an article in a future newsletter please email us Climatechange@Coventry.gov.uk
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