Heads of the Valleys – A Low
Carbon Zone
Nick Tune
Director BRE
Heads of the Valleys Programme
• Over 200 sq miles, 240,000 people
• Spread across 5 Local Authority
Boundaries
• 15 year Holistic Regeneration Strategy
• Working across boundaries – tackling
Education / Tourism / Health issues
Where is the programme?
Areas we are working in:
• Environmental Improvements
– Built – Towns, WHQS
– Historic
– Natural
• Employment – Jobmatch
• Education
• Tourism
• Health
• Perception Changing
• New Energy
Opportunities – Global and National
Green Energy Revolution
• New energy world will be vastly different
from old
• Diversity all important
• Need strong private/public partnerships
• Enormous economic opportunities
• Wales £4 or £5 billion over next 5 years
• Severn Barrage – £10 billion plus
• World – $17 trillion by 2030
How did this translate into Regeneration
•
Strategic Capital Investment Board
– internal to WAG
•
Propositions for projects working
across boundaries
•
Activity in the HoV has revolved
around a number of
Microgeneration projects.
•
Utilising appropriate organisational
structures within the region, in this
instance Registered Social
Landlords
Main Objectives:
• Tackle fuel poverty
• Creating a new industry base in the region
• Job creation,
• Skills development
• Development of indigenous business.
What programmes will we be
doing?
• Up to 40,000 energy reduction/microgen
housing refurbishments with RSLs
• Deliver exemplar refurbishment projects to
showcase innovation
Penrhiwceiber – 21st Century
House
What programmes will we be
doing?
• Innovation park at Ebbw Vale to showcase
affordable sustainable housing &
innovation
What will we be doing?
• Welsh Pasivhaus design competition
• Green skills academy
• Centre for R&D
Potential Outputs 1
• 40,000 Microgeneration units
installed – or equivalent
• 65,000 homes assessed for
energy efficiency measures
• 39,000 implemented energy
reduction measures
• 2000 jobs created
• 1500 people trained to
recognised standard
Potential Outputs 2
• 50 new businesses created
• 2 international producers
• The largest concentration of
Microgeneration in EU
• Reduced domestic energy
bills of at least £1,720,000
• Reduce emissions of at least
139,200 tonnes CO2/year
Activity to date:
•
To date an overall investment of
£3.25 million
•
This has given the following outputs:
–
139 renewable technologies installed to
social housing
–
6 Solar Heating / Photovoltaic systems
installed on Sheltered housing
–
295 flats benefiting from renewable
energy systems
–
Infrastructure works insulation of
buildings and external improvements
Wider benefits
• Less money spent on fuel bills means
more money available to be spent in the
local economy.
• New job opportunities
• Transforming the region and local, national
and international perceptions
Added Value
• This is the key to the whole
venture
• For the first time – creating an
economy
• Overnight creating the demand
• Selling a real thing – not cheap
labour…..
Where to begin?
• Identify Aberdare to be the first
Welsh ‘Low Carbon Town’
• Target 1000 properties initially
(approximately 60/70% ‘off gas’)
• Provide Energy Performance
checks on each property to advise
most suitable energy saving
solutions
• Install energy saving measures
(Inclusive of Microgeneration)
Where to begin?
• Hold a ‘Community day’ to
launch the scheme in
Aberdare and invite all
potential tenants, media and
politicians to maximise
awareness
• Produce an initial report that
will highlight:
• CO2 Savings that have been
made
• Impact on the ‘Fuel Poor’
• Income enhancement through
Benefits checks
What else…..
• We’re also keen to explore other areas for
development
• Hydrogen Buses, Low Carbon Energy
Production, Educational opportunities
• Perpetual Motion Cars…….
Parting message….
• There is no doubt this is an ambitious
programme
• If we get it right it will transform the region
• We are keen to work with those with
expertise
The Heads of the Valleys was at the centre
of the world’s first energy revolution, which
was based on fossil fuels we want to make
the area at the forefront of the future energy
revolution (renewable energy and low
carbon housing).
Thank you for your time....
• For further details contact:
Nick Tune
Heads of the Valleys Programme
[email address]
