Action on Energy

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• South Wonston residents don’t directly benefit from nearby renewable energy sources. 
• Community-generated energy accounts for less than 0.5% of total UK capacity.
• Locally managed generation as a beneficial activity is a feature of many small communities throughout the UK and Europe.
• The cost of mitigating the impact is estimated to be £1.4 trillion in the UK alone.
• Taking action sooner rather than later will lessen the long-term burden on both the Treasury and local government finances. This will also affect personal finances through taxation changes.
• At current prices (mid-2023), it costs ~£70,000 to 'electrify' the energy and transport needs of the average household (assumes purchasing a rooftop solar array + storage battery, a single electric vehicle and an air-sourced heat pump).

• Winchester City Council has set targets to be a carbon neutral council by 2024 and a carbon neutral district by 2030. Progress towards these targets is measured annually.
• The UK government has set a national target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
• A ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars (all new cars to be "zero emission") from 2035 (was 2030).
• No gas boilers can be installed in new-build houses from 2025.
• For existing homes, from 2035, any new heating installations will have to be low-carbon (e.g. heat pumps).
• A ban on new fossil fuel heating for off-gas-grid homes from 2035 (was 2026).

South Wonston's carbon footprint is above the national average on most measures.

The South Wonston community, with support from the Parish Council has established a network of well-supported Sustainability action groups to help inform and assist residents in taking action and improving our resilience to climate change, particularly in relation to energy use.

The collective aim of these groups is to:

• Improve the community's understanding of the climate crisis.
• Provide appropriate information and resources to inform individual decision-making and provide support to community initiatives.
• Facilitate appropriate larger scale actions by the South Wonston community. e.g. renewable energy generation.

South Wonston isn't alone in taking these steps. Many similar groups across the UK already work with climate-action networks and organisations to develop plans, create tools and assess opportunities to improve resilience to climate change.

• Reduce your domestic energy consumption and improve home insulation.
• Consider your transport choices and journey frequencies (e.g. take fewer flights, use a bike more often, switch to an electric vehicle).
• Purchase and/or generate energy from non-carbon sources.
• Replace gas central heating with electric systems such as a heat pump.
• Eat less red meat.

• Participate in Energy Group workshops and events. Visit the SWS website, sign up to its newsletter, join the Facebook group, follow on Instagram, or even volunteer your time and skills to an SWS Group.

• Carbon Footprint Report for South Wonston (https://www.winacc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/impact-report-south-wonston.pdf)
• Winchester Climate Action Network (https://www.winacc.org.uk/wecan/)
• Helping my Community (Energy Saving Trust) (https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/advice/helping-your-community/)
• WCC carbon emissions report (https://www.winchester.gov.uk/climate-change-and-energy/council-energy-and-carbon-management)