A House of Lords committee has praised the work of a community organisation which is leading the shift to green energy generation in the Derbyshire Dales with a plan to reinvest profits back in the community. John Taylor, 71, a member of Derbyshire Dales Community Energy (DDCE) was giving evidence to the environment and climate change committee on Wednesday, 26th October, in a session scrutinising the Governments Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS).
The former electrician and financial adviser was called as a witness after IMS was asked for clients the Lords could interview, he was chosen as one of the first people to install a low-carbon heat system with support from the scheme in a home that is usually classed as being hard to heat or not heat pump ready. John praised his heat pump install and was especially surprised at how much better the stored hot water solution was compared to his old Combi boiler.
He also recounted his experience of negotiating home energy improvements with local councils and contractors and called for an increase in grant support. John also stated “The main problem for people will be the finances. Houses in Matlock have recently reached an average of £300,000, to get anything reasonable. A lot of new properties are being built and they should automatically have heat pumps-built in.”
John also took the opportunity to discuss his work with the DDCE and its plans for the future. He stated “We are installing solar panels on various commercial roofs and the occupants are using the electricity that we produce with them. We want to get a megawatt of energy under our belts as soon as we can. There are around 480 different companies like ours throughout the UK, all trying to help the planet, which is why I am doing this. I have grandchildren and great grandchildren and we really need to do something.”
You can watch the full committee session here https://www.parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/9abba21e-34d1-4363-9a58-35035d5c808b
“IMS Heat pumps – an excellent company to deal with”