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Where is the Best Renewable Energy Scheme in Cornwall?

Where is the Best Renewable Energy Scheme in Cornwall?

at Cottage Farm, Jacobstow, it appears !

Following previous successes at the Cornwall Sustainability Awards and as BBC Food and Farming sustainable Farmer of the Year finalist, Cottage Farm have been named the Best Small Scale Renewable Energy Scheme in Cornwall at the Cornwall Renewable Energy Awards. Paul and Celia accepted the award from the ‘3 Hungry Boys’ of TV fame.

Cottage Farm do not have a vast array of PV panels on their roofs or land, nor do they operate a large and powerful wind turbine. All their renewable technology is on a relatively small scale, in appropriate proportion to the size of the farm and farmhouse.

So why did they win this prestigious award?
It is their ‘whole farm’ approach to sustainability and the combination of various methods into one integrated whole, incl heating, electricity, water, transport fuel and of course insulation and demand reduction measures.

To quote the from the award citation
‘Cottage Farm is a unique exemplar organic farm producing food in a sustainable and resilient manner and featuring an integrated renewable energy system, which powers the whole farm, farm machinery, the house and all travel including deliveries of their produce. Cottage Farm demonstrates how the whole agricultural sector can attain resilience in the face of increasing cost of energy, fertilisers and fodder.

Every single aspect of the business, farm, house, lifestyle and involvement in the community is driven by the need for sustainability and resilience. Not only do they generate all of their own electricity and export clean energy to the grid using a combination of PV panels and a small wind turbine, but also produce home made biodiesel to power their farm machinery, LandRover, car and deliveries of their organic meat boxes directly to their customers.

As a result of these and many other measures, their climate change emissions have been reduced by a staggering 119% (including export of clean energy), demonstrating how every house can become zero carbon house and near zero energy cost house.’

Paul says ‘As a result of the various changes we have made, we now run the house with near zero energy bills to pay, and we have stopped damaging the planet and the prospects of future generations. As the first ‘SuperHome’ in Cornwall, we regularly share what we have learned at our Open Days with visitors from all over Cornwall and further afield to help them become much more environmentally friendly and pay much less for energy. Have a look at the website www.SuperHomes.org.uk where you can book a space on one of the next Open Days’

Paul often speaks at various national conferences and to local groups on subjects ranging from ‘home energy’ to ‘sustainability and resilience in agriculture’

You can contact Cottage Farm at www.CottageFarmOrganics.co.uk or visit www.TransitionNC.org and look up local Food Directory or Events or just email Cottage.Farm@tiscali.co.uk.

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