Both John Richardson and I sit on the management committee for the Abbey Manor Community Centre, which meets roughly every six weeks ate the moment.

When AMCC was refurbished, the opportunity was taken to bring insulation up to current standards. Air source heat pumps were also fitted to both the new Parish Room and to the main hall. Although these are really powerful, the Committee now needs to optimise the settings to minimise our fuel bills.

Another “green” initiative has been to investigate Solar Cells for the roof to take advantage of the available Feed In Tariff and hopefully to make some money once the investment has been returned. Although the AMCC roof is well positioned, the Abbey Community Association decided it didn’t want to get into one of the “roof rental” schemes as the Centre would be unlikely to benefit much. ACA are now looking at other funding options.

When the Renewable Heat Incentive was confirmed by Climate Change Minister, Chris Huhne, we also decided to investigate whether solar panels could provide the hot water which the centre needs. As you can see, the plumbing is quite “dated” and with work it should mean a much better supply of hot water for the kitchens and washrooms. We think this is very easily done, watch this space.

You’ll notice Councillor Richardson is pictured doing a survey. John’s experience designing and installing solar systems for Soltrac has been invaluable to the Committee. Those who suspect a conflict of interests can rest assured that the Association will use an open tendering process in due course.