Bournemouth is celebrating the reduction of its carbon footprint and wants to help residents to do the same

Posted on Monday 5th June 2017

The Council is helping residents cut energy use and reduce bills with a new Local Energy Advice Programme (LEAP).

Eligible Bournemouth residents can get personal advice and lots of free goodies to help them cut energy bills at home.

Any Bournemouth resident who is eligible (including being in receipt of certain benefits, having a child under five, suffering from a long-term health condition such as high blood pressure, asthma, cancer or arthritis) can apply for a visit from a Home Energy Advisor. They will install free energy saving measures for you – such as smart extension leads, reflective radiator panels, low energy LED lightbulbs, draught-proofing to wooden windows and doors – and more if the home is suitable.

The Advisor can also give energy efficiency tips on how to set heating controllers to keep energy bills down, remind householders to check if they are on the cheapest energy tariffs, and even arrange confidential telephone advice on unclaimed benefits and grants from a money advice specialist.

These simple energy-saving gadgets can save the average household £30 on their energy bills each year – and avoid lots of carbon from reducing energy use.

Call now to book your free home visit on: 0800 060 7567 or check eligibility and apply online.

This support locally comes as the Council confirms that it stands shoulder to shoulder with cities around the world and strengthens its resolve to act to tackle climate change – the greatest threat to future generations.

Bournemouth’s Climate Change Strategy presents the town’s commitments to help tackle climate change, including targets to reduce council and town-wide carbon dioxide emissions by 30% and comply with the Paris Pledge and Compact of Mayors.

The Compact of Mayors is a voluntary scheme open to cities across the world who want to share their climate commitments and progress publicly and this year Bournemouth achieved the distinction of becoming one of only three ‘fully compliant’ UK cities – London and Manchester being the others.

Bournemouth, and the 596 other Compact of Mayors cities worldwide, have made commitments that are equivalent to reductions of nearly one billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually by 2030. We believe that reducing energy use does not hold back the economy, but instead will help Bournemouth become internationally recognised as a Green Economy Leader – a place to live, work and visit, because of our fantastic local environment and our wish to help safeguard the global environment too.”

We hope to attract more companies and talented individuals who share our way of thinking and want to play their part to help us succeed. We already have many local employers who are doing great things to make their companies greener by using less energy, cutting their waste and sourcing products responsibly.”

The Council’s climate change successes to date include:

• Helping reduce residents’ annual carbon dioxide emissions from home, business and transport energy use, from 5.6 tonnes per person in 2005 to 3.6 tonnes in 2016
• LED street lighting installed across the whole town, reducing energy use by 73% and saving 3,700 tonnes of carbon dioxide every year
• Bournemouth named greenest city in the 2013 LSH UK Vitality Index (every major regional town and city scored and ranked using 20 datasets)