Somerset, Wiltshire, Avon and Dorset Local Group – organised by Mark Kingsley – will meet up to talk about what it takes to make buildings more energy efficient at 7.30 pm on Thursday 12th January 2012.
This will be a ‘back to basics’ topic and will no doubt spark a good discussion amongst the enthusiastic core members who have a wide sphere of expertise and experience. Come along and join the debate.
Venue: Function Room (First Floor) at 7.30pm at The Cornerhouse, 1 Christchurch Street East, Frome, Somerset BA11 1QA Tel: 01373 472042 RSVP Mark Kingsley c/o ‘debbie’ at ‘aecb.net’
Feedback from the meeting . . . .
The Somerset, Wiltshire, Avon and Dorset’s meeting in Frome on 12th January focused on ‘back to basics’ and how to find a way for AECB members to communicate the AECB message to the ‘man in the street’.
Mark Kingsley showed members a draft presentation that created much discussion from the 14 members there. It was obviously the result of much research and work and an excellent starting point for the difficult aim of having a positive influence on not only the ‘professionals’ but also driving retrofit from the end user. Mark invited members to comment on the presentation – looking at it from a layman’s point of view – and, in the usual style of AECB Local Group events, there followed much discussion with varying points of view.
There were, of course, conflicting opinions of members with different interests, experiences and expertise in the sphere of sustainable building. This is what makes the Local Group meetings so stimulating. However, most members did agree that there is a need for keeping the language, illustrations and graphs simple and with a clear message – easier said than done.
This meeting highlighted a demand by members – both in this region and also at other Local Group events – for some guidelines on how to get the message across. The springboard for all this discussions seems to have been the Language Workshop at the 2011 Conference – although the success of this workshop, and the follow up event at the London Local Group, may have been as a result of the growing interest in this (and not the other way round).
It is the aim of the Somerset, Wiltshire, Avon and Dorset Group that this presentation, with relevant revisions, will form the basis for members to provide impartical advice on how interested homeowners can make their houses more efficient and comfortable. It is also intended to promote the name of the AECB and to encourage people to have further discussions with AECB members on the basic principles of low carbon/low energy buildings as well as in their specific areas of expertise.
Towards the end of the evening, Katie Duke showed members a mock up of her thermal blind system, as previously requested, and demonstrated how their insulating properties can solve certain problem areas of inadequate existing windows and improving thermal performance to all window openings.
The Somerset, Wiltshire, Avon and Dorset Group (aka SWAD) have a lively bunch of regular members and are planning meetings on the second Thursday of each month.
The newly published book ‘Heat Pumps for the Home by John Cantor with illustrations by Gavin Harper’ is available to AECB members at a special price of just £11.50 (rrp is £14.99), including postage and packing. Payment must be received (cheque or bank transfer) before books will be dispatched. If you would like a copy please email sally@aecb.net to place your order.
