A pioneering project leading the way for future low carbon rural communities
CommuniHeat is a partnership between local community energy group Ovesco, engineering practice Buro Happold and electricity distributor UK Power Networks, working with the Parish of Barcombe. Combining real-energy use data with a desire from the people of Barcombe to become part of the solution to the climate emergency, CommuniHeat aims to find the optimal solution to switch to low-carbon heating. We at Ovesco want to use our experience to help enable the community to take real ownership of their energy, develop greater resilience and provide the model for other rural communities to become sustainable in a way that is achievable and affordable for all.
Ovesco has supported the village of Littlebury and Saffron Walden Community Energy to produce an initial Community Energy Plan called Kickstart to prepare them for Communiheat. Read the report prepared for Littlebury here.
The project began in December 2020 and is currently coming to the end of phase one. This phase has focused on gathering data on the village, including retrofitting housing stock, infrastructure for renewables, energy usage, heat loss, and UK Power Network’s grid. This information has been used to create a digital twin of the village which can bring together complex information, modelling various energy scenarios to monitor the results. This modeling will be used to make evidence-based recommendations on the most cost-efficient and effective ways to shape the transition from oil-fired heating. The project is also looking at other sustainable changes like community-owned solar PV panels and electric car charging points.
Visit our web site at CommuniHeat | Pathway to net zero for more information.
