Energy Group Energy Monitor Loan Scheme

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How this FREE loan scheme works:

We only have 2 energy monitors left!… available for households in Dorchester (rented or owner occupied homes). The monitors are a great tool for taking practical steps towards saving money on utility bills and to reduce carbon emissions.

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Remember: your bills won’t go down unless you Change Your Attitude! The sooner you do, the more money you can save!!

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To take part in this FREE loan scheme of an electricity monitor for up to 6 months please complete & return the simple downloadable application form below, email to: energy@transitiontowndorchester.org or by telephone to Sally Cooke on 01305 267758

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Energy monitor Application Form (Microsoft Word doc 56kb)

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The energy monitors are available to Dorchester residents participants who will be able to view their electricity use from a portable display, thereby helping to take steps to save energy, and money.

• All participating households will be offered a free home energy saving advice visit during the 6-month loan period by a volunteer with professional experience in the sustainable energy sector (note: it is not compulsory to have a home energy advice visit in order to participate in the scheme).

• At the end of the project there will be an opportunity for participating households to comment on the energy savings they have made and energy saving tips they believe are worth passing on to others.

• There will be a prize of a local food hamper worth £50 to the household judged to have made the greatest energy savings (including changes in behaviour, i.e. not only based on meter readings).

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Video explaining how the Minim monitor works (TTD has no connection with British Gas):

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Electricity Monitor – How to guide

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This Saturday.

We will be having a skip delivered so the more people to help the better. The skip is for all the dross and rubbish that was left by the previous encumbents and which has accumulated on the site in the last 25 years by people dobbing rubbish over the fence.

The scrap men have been on site today and have removed a large load of metal at no cost to us. That’s 1 less task for us.

If you have a wheelbarrow and are able to get it there please bring it along.

Ian

By Anita Harries (View from Dorchester)

Transition Town Dorchester held a delightfully traditional wassailing ceremony at their new Railway Orchard off the county town’s Monmouth Road at the weekend.

The aim of this ancient custom is to awaken the cider apple trees from their winter slumber and scare away evil spirits to ensure a good harvest of fruit.

A large group of people gathered around the largest tree and poured cider onto its roots. Pieces of toast soaked in cider were hung from its branches to attract robins, the guardian spirits of the trees.

The wassailing carol was sung, a traditional wassailing rhyme recited by those present, and a great deal of noise made to chase away any evil spirits whomay be lurking in the area.

A genuine three-handled wassail cup was filled with cider and handed round, and homemade Dorset apple cake and apple and cinnamon slices were enjoyed by all those who had braved the appalling weather to take part in this traditional ceremony.

Children threw cake at the tree, and a toast was drunk to the mighty apple tree and the success of the orchard.

Transition Town Dorchester’s community orchard group took over the Railway Orchard site last year from Network Rail, and work days have been held to clear the overgrown area ready for planting. They aim to demonstrate to the people of Dorchester how plots of land, however small, can help meet the town’s need for food while at the same time bringing the community together.

Transition Town Dorchester are striving to engage a significant proportion of the people in their community to work together to look Peak Oil and Climate Change squarely in the eye and address one main question: “for all those aspects of life that this community needs in order to sustain itself and thrive, how do we significantly increase resilience (to mitigate the effects of Peak Oil) and drastically reduce carbon emissions (to mitigate the effects of Climate Change)”.

Anyone who would like to get involved in the community orchard, or indeed any of the other Transition Town projects, can call Jenny Shackleford on 07760 313305 or send an email to info@transitiontowndorchester.org.

PICTURE: Joining together for the singing of the wassail carol

Set-up

Please read the instruction booklet in the minim electricity monitor box or look at the

You Tube set-up video from British Gas (Note that the Transition Town Dorchester electricity use monitor loan scheme is not linked to British Gas or any commercial company).

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Follow the safety guidance carefully and if in doubt about the safety of your existing wiring call an electrician. Do not connect the minim transmitter to an unsafe installation (e.g. with loose, base or corroded wires near the meter or fuse box). If you have any questions about set-up please contact Transition Town Dorchester member Pete West on 01305 251378

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Simple tips

• Make a note of the date you first start using your electricity use monitor
• Make a note of your electricity meter reading at the same time
• If dual tariff Economy 7 meter you only need to note the daytime (normal rate) reading

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After 2-3 weeks check the accuracy of the minim electricity monitor. Check the electricity used over the last 30 days shown on the minim display compared to the electricity used as shown by your electricity meter. The minim may be inaccurate by up to 20% compared to the true reading from an electricity meter. This should be borne in mind, but does not affect its usefulness as a real-time electricity display.

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See how much electricity you have used over the last 7 days and compare with the last 30 days, once the minim has been in use for a month.

The reading on the left shows 70.29 kWh of electricity use used over 7 days or 10kWh per day.

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This reading shows 272.38 kWh over 30 days during late January and February, or 9kWh per day.

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Electricity use would be expected fall as less lighting is used during summer months and central heating pumps operate for fewer hours.

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British Gas customers explain how they have used their electricity monitors on this You Tube video

Didn't get to tell it all last time so here's some extras. The Pond has been dug - but not quite as planned. It was decided by the Wildlife Team that a slightly* different arrangement would be more beneficial to wildlife and be a little more aesthetically pleasing. The main pond has been moved south about 10 feet and made about 50% bigger than originally planned. And there will now be a properly excavated runoff (which will be lined and seeded as a 'marginal' area) leading into a lower pond about 1/3 the size of the upper one. I'll get Mike to sketch the new arrangement so it can be posted. I think it'll improve that aspect of the project significantly. Work on the chicken house has been suspended until freezing weather is less likely as any foundations for the building need to set normally. We now have a Twitter account. If you Tweet then follow us at @UnderLancheFarm * I understate it a little :) Ian

There's been quite a lot of activity offsite so I thought it timely to say where we're at. Workdays have been a bit sporadic but then its been Celebration Season, and the weather's been pretty miserable. Subject to climate* the next workday is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. the 6th. At present we plan to start on paths and raised veg beds. but if other projects (chicken house) want to turn up we could make a good day of it. Andy has been in contact with his polytunnel contact and will be negotiating the best gift he can get from them for us! Once it arrives it'll be all hands to the mill to erect it. The girls have been hard at work with a bid for some of the Big Lottery Fund money. They've worked hard to get everything in that we might need. Let's just hope the Fund like our application and come up with a few pennies. I've been in touch with the company building the Weymouth Relief road and their contact at DCC Roads Division and have secured a gift of a whole lot** of 20mm chicken wire. They've been using it as temporary fencing. It may not be available until April but I'll keep checking in the meantime. The National Trust have been helpful with the design of a composting toilet. Construction should be simple but we still need a small shed. If you know of one anywhere that is serviceable but surplus to requirements please get in touch. * If it's raining or completely frozen then check first before turning up. Or just turn up on the off-chance. ** There's miles of it in use - without exaggeration - honest. Ian

The next Transition Town Dorchester Energy Group meeting is…

our usual bring-and-share meal and Energy discussion/meeting where we will be putting the final touches to  plans for the Energy Monitors project which goes live soon!  All welcome!

Date: Monday 10th January
Time: 7.00pm
Place: 53 Great Cranford Street, Poundbury DT1 3SQ
Tel: 01305 266548

Please bring a contribution to our meal – a dish or an item of food to share.

The Orchard is coming on apace! We have just had our third work day and most of the seven foot brambles are now chopped down and we can begin to get a feel for the size of the land. Lots of rubbish discovered in the process- some where old allotment sheds and cold frames have collapsed and some people have chucked over the fence. Network Rail have agreed to provide a skip so our next work day will be filling it up – them comes the massive task of shredding all the green waste.
We were really lucky to get three newly qualified tree surgeons to help out, Sam Keel and Dan Croler (and another Sam) did a brilliant job and worked for a day and a half to get the trees down and chopped up. If anyone is in need of any tree surgery we cant recommend them enough !
Our next meeting is imminent, on 6th Jan 7.00pm at the Bakers Arms. All welcome !

This Tuesday the 4th January At Tom Browns from 7.30 pm.

It would be great if as many TTD members could come along and celebrate the New Year and review the past year.

Hopefully see you there.

Ian