Barvas Estate Trust Community LED

Barvas Estate Trust Community LED will aim to reduce fuel poverty amongst across the Barvas Estate area. Our approach is innovative, focussing on efficient cooking and lighting, which all households can do something about and will lead to greater efficiencies.

Through a joint partnership of Barvas Estate Trust and The Energy Advisory Service (TEAS SCIO) home visits will be carried out across this community owned land trust in the Outer Hebrides. Ebico Trust have match funded this advice project through the provision of free slow cookers and LED lighting for households within the estate area.

The project will also engage with the community to work together to develop a slow cooker recipe book which will promote discussion across a wide range of ages and capitalise on the potential energy efficient savings. Engaging with such a diverse age range ensures that knowledge and experience can be shared between different generations creating an excellent communication tool.

The home visits enable local residents to take up in-depth energy advice, which will be delivered when LED lighting and slow cookers are installed. Home visits include:

• Assisting the householder with energy efficiency advice.
• Tariff and switching advice
• Billing enquiries
• Installation of LED lightbulbs, slow cookers and carbon monoxide monitors
• Check for possible insulation measures
• Referrals to support agencies
• Income maximisation through benefits checks.
• Grants for measures available at that time.

To raise further awareness and interest in the project, community talks and school visits will be carried out in the estate area.