To see more images from Jamie's trip to Eigg's Giant Footprint Festival in May go to www.flickr.com/photos/johnmuirtrust

Eigg's Green Revolution

Eigg’s Green Revolution

Guest contribution from Jamie Grant (JMT Communcations Officer) who visited Eigg’s recent ‘Giant Footsteps’ festival.

Sue Hollands stands on the back step of her home sipping a cup of tea and waiting for a break in the rain to get back to work in her garden. Rain interruptions are part of her daily life on the Northern side of the island of Eigg. On stormy days she watches angry showers whip in off the Atlantic. Today the precipitation is almost imperceptible, a fine drizzle that hangs over the singing sands below her house like a grey curtain.

Islanders like Sue, a teacher at the school, are used to their lives being dictated to by the elements. A single standing stone offers the only sustained resistance to the wind on the high blown, treeless plateau in the centre of Eigg. Gales frequently stop the ferry from reaching the island and encourage a spirit of independence and resourcefulness in its people.

Their resilience has helped residents turn the very elements that so dominate island life to their advantage. Sue’s cup of tea was boiled with renewable energy generated on the island. In fact every household on Eigg is now hooked into an electricity grid that is powered by a mix of community owned hydro, solar and wind energy.

A year ago the island, which is too far from the mainland to be connected to the mains, celebrated the completion of a £1.7 Million electrification project to hook the ninety odd residents up with home - grown, green power. A 100kW hydro electric scheme is supported by four small wind generators and bank of solar electric cells. Power is distributed, via bank of powerful batteries, around the island in underground cables.

To control demand residents are restricted to a maximum of 5kW of energy in their homes at any one time. Sue has an energy monitor fixed above the sink in her kitchen where it gives a constant reading of her energy use. “I’m always on the look out for low energy appliances,” said Sue. “Last week I was thrilled to find an electric kettle that boils water with 1.5kW rather than 3kW.”

If Sue, or any other household on Eigg, exceeds the 5kW limit the electricity supply is automatically tripped and she has to pay a reconnection fee of £20. This only happened to Sue once, when she put the washing machine and the dishwasher on together. “It is a good incentive to think carefully about what we are switching on at home, and when,” adds Sue.

Energy efficiency is nothing new to Eigg residents. Before the electricity grid was installed householders depended on noisy diesel generators that produced less energy at a greater cost. “This has made a huge difference to us,” Sue says. “Electricity is now far cheaper and far more reliable.”

The key to constantly keeping the lights on using green energy from the West Coast’s fickle climate has been in using a mix of renewable technologies. The hydro scheme provides back up for the wind turbines on calm days, just as solar power makes up for the drop in rainfall over the summer months.

Community participation and ownership has also been critical to the projects success. Residents contributed over £200,000 to the project thought the Eigg Trust and dedicated an enormous amount of volunteer time and effort into its development. “This is our system - uniquely adapted to the islands scattered community - and it works,” Sue says proudly.

Eigg residents could be forgiven for sitting back and feeling rather smug about their green credentials. But their new energy supply has invigorated debate in the community about how even deeper cuts can be made in the island’s carbon dependence. The Eigg Trust is the only Scottish finalist for the NESTA lottery backed Big Green Challenge. Ideas for how to best invest the potential £1 million pounds of funding from the Challenge include solar panelling, wood fuel, electric cars and more local food production.

Which is where Sue’s organic gardening skills come in. Her immaculate beds spread out in a fan shape from her back step, each fertilised with seaweed collected from the shoreline. “I’m thinking of cutting back on work to dedicate more time to the croft,” she tells me. “We want to concentrate harder on providing food for the community and becoming more self sufficient in every aspect of our lives.”

New Energy Assistance Package

I asked Mhairi MacSween, Community Outreach Worker, from the Energy Advice Centre for the Highlands and Islands to explain more about the new Energy Assistance Package that was announced in April. This takes over from the Central Heating and Warm Deal programmes.

I must say I found my brain a little scrambled trying to get it all clear in my head. As Mhairi said to me: "It is still fairly complicated so it is best to get people to ring us."

Essentially, as she explained, the new package means that everyone is entitled to free advice, an energy audit and a benefit check. Then some groups of people are entitled to further support including insulation and heating measures, mainly, these are people who receive 'qualifying benefits'.

The easiest thing to do is to call free on 0800 512 012 and get taken through the process
or check out the website www.energyassistancepackage.com

This PDF file can also be downloaded from the Energy Assistance Package website, or you can view the quick guide online

In sum, there is good news for some older people and some with young families who can get free insulation etc. and this can include WALL INSULATION and other heating measures like replacing a boiler. Young families on 'qualifying benefits' are included for the first time.

And what about the not so young and not so old and able to pay?

I asked Mhairi if there was any support for those who are able to pay for some works.

Here is what she had to say:

Support can be offered in a variety of ways
By campaign/area (a one off price agreed by the Energy Saving Scotland advice centre and a contractor in that area for a limited period and discounted due to the large take-up) typically this is £199 for loft & cavity subject to survey but it varies. We can work with any group wishing to do a campaign in conjunction with us. We have a marketing manager who helps set up these campaigns. We just completed a campaign in Skye at £199 – so they were getting it for the same price as the mainland!

For individuals, e.g. if they phone into the call centre, to check all the utility providers and see which is the best deal (again this varies as each utility company is different and prices can change so we use a calculator to work it out which is updated continually from head office).

Support can be provided through the Carbon Emission Reduction Target scheme(CERT). CERT schemes are run by various energy companies across the UK. The schemes help tenants and home owners pay for insulation and other fuel saving measures. Anyone can apply for help through these schemes. If you are over 70 or on a low income, you should be entitled to free help to insulate your home. Other people may be entitled to grants to help towards the cost of insulation. Your energy adviser can tell you more about schemes you can apply for. Tel 0800 512 012

In essence:

The local Energy Saving Scotland advice centre for Highlands & Islands offers free, bespoke home energy audits, impartial advice on energy efficiency at home and assistance with accessing grants to help with home insulation and renewable energy technologies and money saving fuel tariffs. Simple tips that cost nothing but can save householders money straight away and stop the wasting of energy.

For any advice or to arrange a free survey of your property for cavity wall or loft insulation Free phone 0800 512 012

Water, water everywhere

It has been raining again over the past couple of days and the week ahead looks unsettled too. Sometimes with so much water everywhere it is easy to wonder why it should be an issue to use it wisely. For those living in remoter places with no access to mains 'water works' such as on Knoydart and Eigg there has long been an understanding of the preciousness of the resource. Many of us however just take for granted the water that comes out of our tap.

I attended a conference run by the Scottish Sustainable Development Forum. This was looking at the results of the Scottish Environmental Attitudes and Behaviours Survey

The first part of the event was various Government officials commenting. Nothing very interesting - mainly grey suits with stock answers - but the second part of the event saw three different but challenging presentations by women (not in suits) with a more practical focus. A provocative input from Tania Flasck, Head of Sustainability at MWH Global Engineering Company got me thinking about water:

She suggested we need to think again about how we use water and what kind of water is used where. For instance - do we need top quality water that is fit for drinking for everything we do? Some countries have a system where the quality of water they use depends on what it is for - so drinking quality isn't used for flushing toilets. Other countries have a de-centralised approach to water so water is delivered close to the source of production. Something to think about for rural areas. Maybe water metering would make us think about our water use?

Why does water use matter?

It took a while for me to understand.

The answers to these questions may surprise you - as they did me:

Who is the largest user of electricity in Scotland?

Scottish Water! The main cost is that of pumping water to us, compounded by the fact there are lots of leaks in pipes on the way. A reduction in demand for water would decrease energy use thus reducing Scotland’s green house gas emissions.

What would the impact be of only boiling the water we needed each time we made a cup of tea or coffee?

The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs say: "If everyone boiled only the water they needed instead of 'filling' the kettle every time, we could save enough electricity to run practically all the street lighting in the U.K."

What is the average number of litres each person uses per day in the UK?

25 litres; 50 litres; 75 litres; 100 litres; 150 litres

At present, the average UK home currently uses 150 litres per person per day. In Scotland it is 146 litres per person per day according to Scottish Water ( that is about 32 gallons).

How much water is used in the average shower?

12 litres - more than 2.5 gallons. See Waterwise for more information.

Apart from the energy that could be conserved if we conserved water better sometime we have e too much water too quickly: Large coniferous plantations add to fast water run off . This contributes to flooding: broadleaf woodlands slow down the rate at which water runs off and lets it reach the water table in a more measured way.

Water may be everywhere but there are lots of issues that relate to water that will affect us all in the future: how much we use; how much energy we use to get it to us; what we do to reduce the chances of flooding and drought;how we prevent it becoming polluted. I could go on and on....

Sustaining the future in Assynt

Situated amongst some of the wildest and most remote scenery in the North West Highlands of Scotland, the parish of Assynt is dominated by spectacular mountain landscapes.

Pioneers in the past, leading the first community buyout of land in 1993 ( through the Assynt Crofters Trust) the community of Assynt are again seeking to pioneer approaches to sustaining their future. This time, they are tackling the challenges of climate change through the newly established Assynt Renewables. With support from the Scottish Government’s Climate Challenge Fund they are seeking to reduce the carbon footprint of the Assynt Parish area through an energy efficiency project and to secure a more sustainable future through looking at what natural resources can be used for energy.

Chairperson for Assynt Renewables, Alastair Macaskill commented:
“ We are delighted to have been awarded this grant. We will use the £74,220 to employ a project officer for two years and meet project costs. This will be a challenging piece of work as we have housing dispersed throughout a large area along with minimal access to public transport. Looking to the future we know we need to use less energy and find ways to be more sustainable. We know that some 28% of carbon emissions come from householders. This is something we can start to tackle.”

Mark Lazzeri, Development Manager of Assynt Foundation and a member of the board of Assynt Renewables explained:
“ We will start with small steps encouraging householders to take part in an energy audit then look to what solutions we can find as a community to reduce our energy usage. We will investigate ways to make the most of the resources we have around us from food to fuel sources.”

Another board member Chris Chant added:
“One of the exciting possibilities we are exploring is how to reduce our fuel for transport so we investigating options such as electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles. Transport is a real issues here and we had a taste of what happens when the price of oil rocketed last summer. We want to be at the front of change rather than on the receiving end of it in the future.”

The specific objectives for the project include:
· Establishing the baseline carbon footprint of the area.

· Carrying out an energy audit of houses, community buildings and businesses

· Supporting a programme of insulation and efficiency measures to reduce the carbon footrpint

· Investigating the feasibility of local microrenewables schemes which could serve clusters of houses and community buildings

· Assessment of options to reduce the transport miles and food miles in the parish through greater use of local food products and greater quantity of local food processing as well as looking at options for electric and/or hybrid power vehicles

· Looking at possibilities for greater use of wood as a fuel


The project is being supported by Changeworks (Energy Saving Scotland Advice Centre for the Highlands and Islands ) and the John Muir Trust. It will work also with Community Energy Scotland in terms of auditing of some community buildings and looking at community run renewable energy options .

The appliance of science and switching off

As we emerge out of winter and the days get longer and warmer, heating bills should reduce but some things will stay the same. Our appliances for instance continue to be used at a similar rate throughout the year.

Europe is one of the biggest sources of the world's climate pollution - and experts say that half of Europe's emissions come from boilers, fridges, TVs and other energy-using products in homes and other buildings.

We have the science to reduce these levels- it just needs the appliance.

The recent campaign for more stringent European legislation on new appliances has partially succeeded. Products are to be much more energy efficient- but not as good as campaigners had hoped for. For information on the most energy efficient appliances check out Sust-It - an informative site providing energy usage data on the most efficient appliances in the market.

But getting a new appliance is not an option for everyone – so in the meantime what can we do with what we have?

It is simple – switch it off when not is use! Often we are unwittingly using up electricity as this information on phantom loads reveals:

What is a phantom load?

Phantom loads are appliances that use power all the time, even if they are turned off. These loads are most often found in electronics, and anything that has automatic-start, etc. Common culprits are anything with a clock in it, such as a VCR, alarm clock, TV, microwave, etc. But it is not limited to that. Computers, business machines like fax machines, copiers, scanners, printers, all draw constant power. Watch out for the gadgets like mobile phones that have a wall cube transformer. Touch the black box, and they generally are warm. That warmth is wasted electricity. Some power cubes use the same amount of power even if they are not plugged into the appliance, but still plugged into the wall!

Switching things off at the wall is the easiest and carbon free approach but what if you have a computer like mine that resets itself in an unhelpful way if I try this approach or you have plug points in awkward places that involve performing gymnastics to get there . There is another solution:

Intelligent plugs that powerdown your equipment.....

Intelligent plugs recommended by the Energy Savings Trust can be remotely operated for some appliances thus getting round the issue of arkward plug points. The cost of buying them should be paid back from the energy saved.

I'm off to try one out.

Knoydart celebrates and looks to the future

Ten years ago the population of Knoydart took the bold step of purchasing land and taking control of their future.

The Knoydart Foundation – set up to manage the buy out - are marking their achievements over the last decade with a range of activities that start with a day of celebrations on 26th March and continue throughout the year. Activities include a Spring and an Autumn Watch along with a week looking at carbon reducing activities in July( more details on the website).

Knoydart with the most remote community on mainland Britain has no access to the national grid. Addressing energy needs and looking at how to reduce their carbon footprint are pressing issues.

Currently Knoydart Renewables, a community based organisation run a micro- hydro scheme from Loch Bromisaig. This supplies the village of Inverie but there are constant challenges. Villagers on the peninsula are still reliant on expensive fossil fuels such as diesel for powering vehicles and oil for heating houses.

Thanks to funding through the Climate Challenge Fund - as part of the Community Energy Scotland Powerdown Project – the Foundation are now looking to employ someone full-time to support efforts to reduce their carbon footprint. In addition to looking at the individual carbon footprint of households, they plan to look at hydrogen energy options for transport and also ways to maximise on using wood for fuel. This is a low carbon option and there is the wood around to use. We will also be looking at the renewable energy options for those houses that are not part of the micro hydro scheme.

Fuel and energy are important but food is what really keeps us going. They have deer on the peninsula – a great source of lean meat and are looking to increase sales of this locally rather than taking it off the peninsula. They are also looking at how to use the market garden to supply more food locally.

All these actions will help to keep Knoydart more sustainable and resilient for the future.

They would be delighted if anyone wants to join in celebrating their success to date and support them to a vibrant future.