The Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy were founded in 2001 to encourage the greater use of local sustainable energy to address climate change and alleviate poverty.  Since then they have rewarded nearly one hundred winners across the UK and the developing world.  The awards work to show-case and celebrate best practice, encourage the expansion and replication of winners’ work, raise awareness of the potential of local sustainable energy and advocate on their winners’ behalf.

UK finalists will take part from Birmingham, Coventry, Devon, Herefordshire, Milton Keynes, Scotland, Surrey and Yorkshire.  International schemes will also be recognised for their work.  The contenders will present their work to their peers and other experts at the Ashden Awards Imperial College Conference on 10th June.

This year’s eight UK finalists in four categories demonstrate massive potential for growth and replication:

UK Business Award finalists

Architects put environment at heart of building design
A firm delivering low-energy architecture in close consultation with their buildings’ end users has beaten 2006 building regulations standards by at least a third on both energy and CO2.

Business booms for carbon-cutting pumps
A fast-growing company has installed nearly 800 heat pumps for heating and cooling buildings in just six years. By using renewable heat from the earth they are saving tens of thousands of tonnes of CO2 per year compared with gas boilers and conventional air conditioning.

UK Charity Award finalists

Galvanising communities to adopt low-carbon lifestyle
A local Energy Agency runs the gamut of inspirational and practical support to communities, reaching households, businesses and local groups through tailored programmes.
 
Low carbon show-homes demonstrate how to green older houses
A network of pioneering owners of hard-to-treat, low-carbon homes shows how to reduce carbon emissions by 60%, inspiring more than 36,000 visitors.

UK Local Authority Award finalists

Insulation scheme blanketing metropolitan borough
Ward by ward, a local authority is offering to provide and install free cavity-wall and loft insulation to every home that can use it. So far the scheme has created 140 jobs and installed insulation in more than 21,000 households.

Boosting local renewable energy businesses
A county council scheme stimulating rural regeneration has created 55 jobs and safeguarded 16 more by supporting both supply and demand for renewable energy. So far it has led to 109 renewable energy installations, with a capacity of over 2 MW in SMEs, community organisations, and homes. 

UK Schools Award finalists

Antarctic expedition inspires carbon-saving headteacher
The head of a 270-pupil primary school has worked with the whole school community to change behaviour and achieve sustainable carbon savings, including an overall reduction in electricity use of 48%.

Scottish school embraces sustainable energy
A 900-pupil secondary school has taken big steps to reduce energy use over the past 10 years, from auditing and changing regular building maintenance and upgrades, to installing a wind turbine and solar thermal system. Pupils enjoy cross-curricular learning on sustainable energy and lead campaigns at school and in the community.


International Sustainable Energy Champions

The following nominees for international Ashden Awards all demonstrate massive potential for growth and replication:

Ladakh, India
A highly insulated, heat-retaining greenhouse powered only by the sun enables
villagers to grow vegetables through the winter, even when outside air temperatures fall below
-25oC. Since 2005 nearly 600 greenhouses have been built cheaply by masons using mainly
local materials.

Bihar, India
A new biomass gasification system generates electric power for eight hours per
day, providing a popular alternative to an unreliable grid supply. Electricity is currently sold to
ten businesses which previously used diesel generators. Most of the biomass is ‘dhaincha’, a
local woody plant which grows in water-logged areas where crops cannot be grown.

USA/China
A cheap and efficient stove saves 40% fuelwood and reduces polluting emissions
by 50-75% compared to traditional cooking. It is manufactured in a factory in China and used in
programmes as widespread as South Africa, India, and Argentina. 60,000 stoves have been
sold.

Nicaragua
2,000 solar home systems and 560 larger solar energy systems have been sold
and installed in rural areas by a 25-year-old family-run business, for uses including light and
communications for schools and police stations; vaccine and blood refrigeration for clinics;
pumps for village water supplies; and power for mobile phone masts.

Ethiopia
A village scheme pioneering rented small photovoltaic (PV) solar-home-systems in
each of 1,100 homes was successfully trialed to replace kerosene lighting and dry cell
batteries. It has now supplied a further 1,000 systems to outlying areas, and has established a
centre providing training for solar technicians.

Uganda
A business started making briquettes from agricultural waste for its own use, but now
sells over 100 tonnes per month to schools and other businesses, and has installed over 1,300
large, efficient stoves for cooking using briquettes. Briquettes replace fuelwood and charcoal,
thus reducing deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions.


For further information, films and case studies on past winners, go to www.ashdenawards.org.