Point & Sandwick To Be 1st LED Community In The UK?

A community windfarm charity is working alongside sustainable housing organisation Tighean Innse Gall (TIG) to make Point and Sandwick in the Outer Hebrides the first LED community to be found in the UK.

The Point and Sandwick Trust will be collaborating with TIG on the five-year project that hopes to see the entire peninsula converted to energy-efficient lighting, part of plans to tackle fuel poverty in the local area, as well as helping address climate change, the Island News and Advertiser reports.

The cost of the LED bulbs is being covered by the trust, which has committed £72,000 annually to the project over the next five years. Also offering its support will be The Climate Challenge Fund. Each household in the region will be offered up to 14 bulbs free of charge, which equates to a cash gift of around £84. It’s hoped that the move will also see annual bills cut by about ten per cent.

“Fuel poverty is a major problem in the Western Isles and we are top of the national league of fuel poverty statistics. A wet, windy climate, ageing population, low wages, a significant number of properties below the national ‘tolerable standard’ and above-average prices for fuel of all types all combine to make fuel poverty a major issue,” general manager of the trust Donald John said.

If you’re interested in setting up a community energy project in your local area, the government has come up with a guide to help you get started, with ideas about the support available which may prove very useful indeed.

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