Plenty of discussion, her is a summary, feel free to add you comments/question at the end.

Next Energy Drinks gathering on Thus 29th October 16:30, see events for any updates.

1. The programme for Open Eco Homes has been published. There will be about 21 location to visit in Devon over the weekends between 19^th Sep. to 11^th Oct. The majority are in Teignbridge opening their homes to visitors on three weekends. Check out the publicity to plan/book your visit.
   
   A launch event is planned at the Newton Abbot library on the 23^rd September 19:00-21:00. This will be a collection of talks by some of the hosts with an opportunity to ask questions and find out more about what’s on offer for this year’s Devon-wide Open Eco Homes.
2. As our summers get warmer, it’s inevitable that the topic of overheating homes was raised. Many remedies we hear about tend to suggest ways of cooling our homes or ourselves. These should really be the last resort. A more effective way would be to keep the heat out of our homes in the first place, but only in the summer.
   
   Shading, especially windows, are a first consideration, ideally flexible to allow solar gain in the winter. This can be natural structures like deciduous trees, umbrellas, hard/soft material awnings (adjustable/retractable), external screens or high G-value windows. Closing curtains/blinds can have some benefit, but is not as effective because the heat will have got into the house.
   
   It may sound counter intuitive, but insulating our roofs and walls can make a big difference. Some heat pumps are reversable, especially air-to-air ones. Air-to-water heat pumps can work, but need careful consideration of potential condensation. If you have surplus electricity from solar PV panels, you can consider using this for cooling rather than exporting to the grid.
   
   The Energy Saving Trust provide a good overview. You could also visit some of the Open Eco Homes that have taken measures, from PassivHaus to DIY or go to the Build It Live exhibition at Westpoint near Exeter on the 12/13 September.
3. In the news the past year has been the US’s aggressive stance on controlling natural oil/gas reserves. First in Greenland (40 bn barrels) and more recently Venezuela (300 bn barrels). The UK may still have 3-7 bn barrels left in the North Sea. Should we be worried and what can we do about it?
   
   It’ll take many years to develop the fields in Venezuela and Greenland, possibly decades. Nevertheless, there are many more known oil reserves worldwide (over 1,500 bn barrels), many are being actively developed with little if any effective campaign to stop them.
   The US administration is motivated by having little or no geopolitical control over the vast majority of these reserves. Its own reserves are 38-46 bn barrels which are being depleted faster that all others as it tries to satisfy demand without strengthening countries it disagrees with geopolitically.
   
   It is only natural that when we pick up on certain alarming news items that resonate, we get worried and try to do something about it or just forget/ignore. Another soon to hit the news are the North Sea licences the government is likely to issue. This is a difficult balance for many, how much effort to put into taking action. The subject is not new to those steering ACT’s activities or for those who subscribe to ACT and other environmental groups. While ACT welcomes and encourages everyone to take whatever action they feel appropriate, we are aware of our finite resources to take effective action.
   
   Our focus is therefore to take action where we can achieve maximum impact, within the constraints of our resources and abilities. You can find out about our priorities and what activities the different ACT groups are taking, visit our website.
   
   There are several international organisation acting on dramatically reducing the use of fossil fuels in generating the energy we depend on. They include:
   • 350.org: A massive international grassroots movement
   • Oil Change International: A research and advocacy organisation
   • Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative: A diplomatic push modelled after nuclear treaties
   • Climate Action Network (CAN): A worldwide network of over 1,800 civil society organisations
4. An energy group member made an excellent suggestion to create an infographic as a response to the misinformation around the price of energy and decarbonisation. There was very useful feedback on the initial drafts from about 10 people of varying background, interest and views on the topic.
   
   As a result, we’ve created an infographic which explores if renewables are more expensive than gas generated electricity. We know that over 85% of UK residents are concerned about climate change, but many of those are not necessarily convinced renewables are the answer, mainly because of the widespread belief that they push up electricity prices.
   
   It is that audience we want to target with an infographic that is uncomplicated, balanced with enough information to elicit both agreement and challenge. Essentially to engage people in a conversation. You can see a draft of this here, let me know what you think.
5. Inevitably China came up in the discussion about the infographic on electricity from renewable vs gas. We agreed that we don’t really hear much about how China is progressing, some claim they are the biggest polluters with their carbon fuelled power stations, others claim they have more renewables than the rest of the world put together.
   
   Here is a useful article on what China’s plans are. Let me know if you’d like to share other relevant information on this topic.
6. NESO are conducting further Demand Flexibility tests during September. Our region will be offered one such test with the Guarantee Acceptance Price from NESO shown below.
   These are competitive prices when compared to the average wholesale prices of electricity ranging between £60/MWh and £130/MWh depending on whether gas generation is <20% or >20% respectively.
   
   There is an online webinar scheduled for Sept 22^nd 1pm on grid balancing, it’s free to attend if you’re interested in what criteria are used to turn generation on/off.
   • demand turn-up test will carry a GAP of £180/MWh
   • demand turn-down test will carry a GAP of £500/MWh
7. Teignbridge district council has publicised the joint My Electricity initiative. There were 11 people who expressed an interest in running a session with one group having completed this. The session was at a sports club where the committee running the club identified significant potential for saving (more than half of their ~£25k annual electricity bill).