THE GREEN PAGE
ENERGY
THE GREEN PAGE IS DIVIDED INTO TWO AREAS: ENERGY & GARDENING
ADVICE & ASSESSMENT
Energy at Home BANES
08000385680
Drop-in session at the Bath Central Library on the first Thursday of the month from 11am-2pm. Provides advice about paying bills, ways to save money on heating, grants for home improvements, dealing with damp & mould and support with your project
The Climate Hub
Bath Bus Station Rotunda
Daily 10a-4pm.
A drop-in centre where you can learn about climate action, sustainable practices including those related to food, local climate related events & opportunities to make Bath more eco-friendly.
Transition Bath
Transition Bath is a local charity run by volunteers and endorsed by WECA, Transition Together, BWCE & more. They are concerned with Climate action looking a Energy, Food, Transport and Community.
Clean Energy Advice & Resources
https://cleanenergy.campaign.gov.uk
Provides advice & resources about reducing energy use, installing insulation, solar panels, energy efficient boilers and more. Some funding is available for low income households including the Warm Homes Grant.
HOME ENERGY RESOURCES
Bath & West Community Energy (BWCE)
01225 683202
Offers several different levels of assessment including step by step guidance and tailored recommendations to enhance your home’s energy efficiency:
A Free Home Visit: a 30 minute consultation to discuss your home’s energy efficiency potential & explore the next steps.
A Home Energy Efficiency Plan (HEEP): is designed to help you understand which measures will bring the greatest benefit. Ideal if you are at the beginning of your low carbon journey You will receive a home visit with recommendations, have your questions answered and receive a follow-up report and a new EPC. Costs vary according to number of bedrooms. Discounts are available; check their website for current offers.
A FutureProof Survey & Plan: a full roadmap for larger or whole house retrofit projects and includes a home visit & full survey, a debrief meetings comprehensive report (80+ pages) which covers all recommended measures from windows to renewable technology, detailed guidance including analysis of multiple retrofit scenarios bases detailed energy modelling tailored to your desired outcomes terms of cost, comfort & savings. Discounts are available; check their website for details.
A Heat Pump Assessment: Independent advice on which system would work best in your home by assessing layout, any future plans and related upgrades such as solar power battery storage & insulation. Includes a home visit, clear guidance on type of heat pump and radiator requirements and summary report. If you have further questions a follow-up call is available.
Retrofit West
AdviceLine Voicemail: 08000386733
www.homeowners.retrofitwest.co.uk
Email: advice@retrofitwest.co.uk
Homeowner Hub: a digital resource for sustainable home improvement. The portal will help users evaluate their home’s energy efficiency, suggest practical options and recommend local experts. Offers discount vouchers for formal assessments by other providers and information on grants & funding.
Go Green Widcombe
Provides a comprehensive guide to installing a heat pump particularly in period properties by period ( Georgian, Victorian etc). Regularly holds information & guidance sessions which are advertised on their website: https://gogreenwidcombe.org. Go Green Widcombe has a thermal imaging camera available to loan; see where your home is leaking energy.
PLANNING & LISTED BUILDING CONSENT
For general advice regarding Listed Building or Conservation Areas please visit the BANES Listed Buildings Webpage: www:bathnes.gov.uk/listedbuildings.
Retrofitting Listed Buildings: a Level 0 pre-application service for homeowners who are interested in improving the energy efficiency of their listed building but don’t know where to start. The service is tailored to the homeowners’ needs, budget & the identified characteristics of the listed building. The aim of the pre-app is to clearly identify the next steps of a retrofit project and submitting a listed building application with the best chance of success. Contact the BANES Conservation Team by calling 01225 394041 or emailing conservation_planning@bathnes.gov.uk on Tuesday or Thursdays.
Listed Buildings Energy Assessment & Planning Advice: In conjunction with BWCE a joint energy survey will provide retrofit advice from both a heritage and technical energy perspective. Includes a joint visit by a Conservation Officer, who will provide Level 0 pre-application advice, and a BWCE assessor providing one of BWCE’s energy surveys. This joint service incurs a fee; discount vouchers are available from Retrofit West.
GRANTS & FUNDING
Bright Green Homes
Advice line: 08000385680
BANES Council is working with the Bristol City & North Somerset Councils which is funded by the governments Warm Homes Local Grant Project. Grant funding is on a first-come first-served basis; due to high demand there may be delays. The grant covers cavity wall insulation, loft insulation, air source heat pump, solar pv panels, window/door replacement and ventilation upgrades. Applicants must meet the funding criteria or live in an area of Multiple Deprivation.
Lendology
lendology.gov.uk/partner/bath-north-east-somerset-council/
Lendology provides grants to low income households for warmer homes and lower energy bills. Low interest loans for home improvements and energy efficiency may available to home owners and private landlords. Loans are also available to owners of empty properties to fund the work to bring them back into use.
Boiler Upgrade Scheme
www.gov.uk/apply-boiler-upgrade-schene/get-help
This scheme provides grants of up to £10,000 to replace existing fossil fuel heating with more energy efficient, low carbon systems including air or ground source heat pumps or, in limited circumstances, a biomass boiler. Criteria apply; please see the website for details.
SOLAR PANELS
SWITCH TOGETHER (Formerly Solar Together)
Switch Together is a WECA affiliated group buying scheme for solar panels, optional battery storage systems and advice about heat pumps and more. There is no active scheme in BANES currently but it is possible to register your interest in the next phase through the website or by ringing 08000146651.
ENERGY COMPANIES
Some energy providers also offer installation of solar panels, batteries and heat pumps. Please check with your trusted provider for more information.
SELECTING A TRADESPERSON
For General Trades who have been endorsed by the government to carry out home improvements please look at the TrustMark Register. www.trustmark.org.uk
For engineers working in the renewable energy sector please look for MCS (Microgeneration Certification Scheme) registration. To find a registered installer please go to https://mcscertified.com.
FINANCE
Sometimes, even with the government voucher, your green energy journey cannot be funded from saving alone; some funds must be borrowed. Local company Bath Building Society offers a preferential mortgage top-up for green home improvement with zero or low interest. Other institutions may have similar offers. Bath Building Society offers a helpful guide to Green Mortgages. For more information please follow this link: https://www.bathbuildingsociety.co.uk/2025/11/the-complete-guide-to-green-mortgages/
SEMINARS & WORKSHOPS
The following offer regular seminars and workshops on Green Energy & more. Please see the individual websites for more information or to enroll:
* Go Green Widcombe has a schedule of talks & events. To see the latest offerings please use this link: https://gogreenwidcombe.org​
* Bath & West Community Energy (BWCE) also has a series of programs, webinars & talks. To see what's on and to book please use https://bwce.coop
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GREEN GARDENING.
There are a few relatively simple things you can do to make your garden more sustainable while, in some cases, adding interest at the same time.
Composting.
Composting is just recycling on the most basic level; a great way to use your garden waste. White it is entirely possible to just choose a spot in the garden, clear it and start piling up your clippings and cuttings, it would be tidier and more effective to make or purchase a container. Containers can be made from wooden pallets or recycled planks or you can purchase a purpose bult container which come in a wide variety of of shapes, sizes and materials.
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Once you have your container you can add grass cuttings, spent blossom, small wood trimmings, kitchen waste, coffee grounds & tea bags, egg shells and shredded paper or cardboard. There are a few no-nos:cooked food, meat or fish, cat litter or dog poo, glossy paper or diseased plants.
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Your bin becomes a haven for many forms of life including worms, woodlice, and invertebrates to name a few. These go on to feed wildlife while making an effective answer soil free improver for your garden The Royal Horticultural Society is an excellent resource for composting: www.rhs.org.uk as is : www.gardenorganic.org.uk
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Wild Lawn:
Letting all or a portion of your lawn grow naturally is an excellent way to encourge biodiversity while creating pollinator feed and habitats in your garden. An easy way to start is to portion off a section of your lawn for "No Mow May"; you may be surprised at what comes up.! Not everyone is a fan of the "unkempt" look of a wild patch but, if it is given a shape, which makes it look intended rather than neglected, it is easier to tolerate. If you do let your entire garden grow wild then it may be advisabe to cut a few pathways through the area. This allows for better viewing and helps the area look tended. Wilding your lawn is the easiest method of making your garden more sustainable: just stand back & see what happens!
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If you prefer a more colourful look it is completely acceptable to sow or plant native wildflower species. But you may be pleasantly suprised by what lovely things you have been mowing down every week. A local Bloomfied garden produced 3 Bee Orchids recently.
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Once your wild lawn has established you will want to keep it fresh with a mow in late July/early August after any birds have fledged and then again at the beginning of Autumn. Leave the clippings on the lawn for a few days to allow any seeds to fall through to the soil. The Royal Horticultural Society is an excellent source for growing and maintainig wild lawns: www.rhs.org.uk
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Ponds
A pond is a wonderful addition to any garden no matter what the size. It can add a focal point as well as a becoming a wildlife habitat. Even a small pond can give insects and invertebrates a boost while they, in turn, provide fodder for larger creatures. Watching a new pond come to life is one of life's simple pleasures.
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Your pond is ideally located in the sun or partial shade and should be in a quiet spot where any creatures won't be disturbed too often. Aquatic planting around the edges and into the pond make the area look natural almost immediately. A pond will require a certain amount of maintenance to keep it in peak condition and safety can be an issue if small people share the garden. Any electrical supply for lighting and pumps should be professionally installed. The Royal Hortuculural Society is an excellent source for building and maintaining a pond: www.rhs.org.uk.
Weed Control
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We all know weeds are simply plants growing in the wrong place. We are being encouraged to allow weeds to grow as wildflowers in our gardens to attract & feed pollinators. But there are places where weeds can overgrow disrupting pathways and breaking down mortar in walls. Weeding manually, with a hoe or a tool designed for the purpose works well in garden beds as does mulching which suffocates young weedlings. Mulch can be made from compost which also nourishes the soil, cardboard (which breaks down feeding the soil) or wood chippings. If you have plants which require a certain pH then that will impact your choice of mulch..
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On pavements, paths, walls and drives weeds can be destructive. Spraying with a commercial product is still largely off the menu but new, environmentsly safe products are in development. Meanwhile it s easy & inexpensive to produce one's own concoction out of household ingredients such as a careful application of boiling water, lemon juice or a salt preparation. Formulas using vinegar in combination with baking soda have also proven effective. The Royal Horticultural Society is an excellent source for nature friendly weed control: www.rhs.org.uk.
Build Habitats
Adding bird boxes, bee hotels, hedgehog hostel, worm farms, log piles, and woody areas to your garden encourages more wildlife into your garden Commercially available or homemade: most creatures will not discern a difference between them! Building habitats the watching for signs of life is a great family enterprise. A rockery can shelter a number of creatures & can be an attractive feature in a corner.
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Buy using all available space: walls, fences, trees & roofs you spread the features around the garden giving responding creatures their own area. Building habitats should not be expensive or difficult. With a little imagination secondhand railway sleerers, bamboo canes, and things found in a skip can be useful building blocks. Even a pile of rocks or logs makes an ideal home for some creatures. The Royal Horticultural Society is an excellent resource for creating garden habitats: www.rhs.org.uk as is www.wiltshirewildlife.org/hibernaculum.
Adopt a Verge
No garden? Why not adopt a verge in your garden? Bloomfield Road has a number of roadside verges; two have been adopted previously giving you a head start. The verges are owned by the Council; it is necessary to agree to the Council's rules before taking one on. A suprising number of wild plants are alreadyy growing; they just need some TLC and space. For information on adopting a verge please follow this link: https://www. banes.gov.uk-neighbourhood-natural-areas.