LITTLE GRANSDEN PARISH COUNCIL

Chair: Oliver Hipwell, Hill Farm, 8 Main Road, Little Gransden SG19 3DN Tel: 017944 547685 email oliverhipwell.lgpc@gmail.com (Elected 5 May 2022; Vice-chair; Biodiversity and Tree Officer)

John Jefferies, Ash Tree Cottage, Little Gransden SG19 3BP email jrjefferies@btinternet.com (Co-opted 12 May 2022 )

Mrs Noushin Rostami, 34 Primrose Hill, Little Gransden SG19 3DP emailnrostami.lgpc@gmail.com (Elected 5 May 2022; co-ordinator Friendship Club)

Emma Ward 6 Main Road, Little Gransden SG19 3DN emmaward.lgpc@gmail.com (Elected 5 May 2022; trustee and parish council representative for Little Gransden Village Hall)

Aston Cox, Gransden Lodge, Longstowe Road, Little Gransden SG19 3EB (co-opted 11 May 2023

Clerk: Sylvia Sullivan, 3 Primrose Hill, Little Gransden SG19 3DP Tel: 01767 677906, email clerk.lgpc@aol.com Office hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday

Thursday 19 January 2012

Electricity monitoring meters

Electricity monitoring meters are still available to households in Little Gransden. It is only by using these free meters (supplied by South Cambridgeshire Council SPEP group) that you can find out when your electricity costs are highest. Then you can think about a solution to offset the electricity cost rises. Contact Trevor Brown to borrow one.

Websites for your reference

Sustainable Parish Energy Partnership (SPEP) - www.spep.net
Energy saving trust (independent charity for advice) - www.energysavingtrust.org.uk
Renewable Heat Incentive Policy and "Green Deal" - latest information - www.decc.gov.uk

Thermal imaging camera:

A donation of £70 was made to the Cambridge Carbon Footprint organisation, who owned the camera, and loaned it to the LGEG in return for a donation.  All the money donated by householders was passed on the Cambridge Carbon Footprint without any deduction for "expenses".  The loan of the camera was organised by the SPEP group within South Cambs District Council.
The thermal imaging camera showed up heat losses from concrete lintels over windows, where older buildings had lintels that bridged the cavity.  It showed the heat loss around the edges of some double glazed window panes, where the aluminium spacer between the two sheets of glass conducted heat from inside to outside.  The new "A" rated double glazing windows have an insulated spacer, instead of aluminium, as well as modified glass that reflects heat back into the building.  The camera detected heat being lost though air vents that were open, which they have to be open at times to allow adequate ventilation.  An example of the old style "Crittal" metal window frames revealed how much heat was conducted to the outside through the metal frames - such frames should be replaced as a matter of urgency!
The thermal camera detected heat losses around the outside edges of some houses with under floor heating, and the size and shape of radiators inside poorly insulated walls (mainly wattle and daub construction).  Wood burning stoves and AGA stoves can appear to have considerable heat losses up the chimney stack due to exterior surface temperatures between 20 and 30 deg C on the chimney, when the air temperature was only 4 to 7 deg C at the time of measurement.

In the Little Gransden Village Hall, the warm air rising from the convector heater resulted in air at 33 deg C at ceiling height when the room thermostat was set at 21 deg C.  Cold draughts of around 9 deg C were entering from poorly insulated ceiling at 11 deg C in the stage area and the Committee Room.  Aran Services are being employed to insulate the ceiling above the stage area.  Although the ceiling of the Reception Area is insulated, there is no insulation above the loft floor, and the loft space is open to the atmosphere around the edges of the corrugated roof and wall panels.  This cold air was descending into the Main Hall by the loft door that could not be shut fully - this has now been rectified as a matter of urgency!  In the kitchen of the Village Hall, there had been a damp area in one corner that started to show signs of mould.  This area is a cold spot and immediately above the hot water boiler.  The mould has now been removed, but better insulation and ventilation when water is being boiled, is required.

The Solar Photovoltaic Panels at 15 Main Road have now generated just over 1272 kWh of electricity since they were installed on 28th May, and 9th January.  Unsurprisingly, the many cloudy and short days has resulted in low amounts of electricity being generated in the last month.  Daily generation from only 0.15 kWh to 4.47 kWh were recorded over the Christmas to New Year period.