Highlights

You wait years for a minister to visit a Solar School...

28 Apr 14

Last month, the day before the launch of the government’s first ever solar strategy, climate change minister Greg Barker and education secretary Michael Gove visited Barnes primary school in west London to laud the benefits of putting solar on schools.

Barnes was one of the first Solar Schools to actually install their panels.They raised £10,000 in just 14 weeks through a combination of inclusive events and savvy online crowdfunding that extended their efforts well beyond the school gates.

Balcombe: 'the blueprint for can-do communities all over the UK'

23 Apr 14

Did you catch REPOWERBalcombe on Channel 4 news last week?

The segment starts from the two minute mark in the video below, but the whole thing is well worth watching.

Why a low carbon home is (still) hard to find

14 Apr 14

New flats in Camden

Once a year somewhere in the depths of the Department of Communities and Local Government a sinister ritual is held.

An effigy of an estate agent dressed in gold cloth, carried by a phalanx of terrified civil servants is worshipped while minsters, led by Eric Pickles, chart a repeated mantra: 'Nooooo' they wail, 'Noooooo, no extra regulation of the housing market shall be allowed'.

Your next boiler probably won't burn oil or gas

10 Apr 14

Solar thermal panels on the roof of a house

Solar heating: now an actual thing

Renewable home heating just became much more affordable, thanks to a new government scheme that offers a fixed payment for each unit of fossil-free heat you generate.

Back Balcombe - the story so far

27 Mar 14