A COMMUNITY-owned energy project in Crediton could save the town thousands of pounds, it has been claimed.

Town action group Sustainable Crediton has been allocated almost £20,000 by the Rural Community Energy Fund to develop a community-owned energy project in the town, which would see the money spent on gas electricity by people and businesses in Crediton stay in the town's economy.

Linda Lever of Sustainable Crediton said: “We are delighted that this grant will allow people in the Crediton area to start work on creating an energy enterprise that will benefit the local community.

“The money, which comes from the Rural Community Energy Fund (RCEF), will pay for a feasibility study to identify renewable energy resources in the Crediton area, and which ones could be offered by a community-owned company.”

The grant is also a wonderful opportunity to help the local economy, according to Andrew Shadrake from DARE, the North Tawton based-energy advisers who are working with Sustainable Crediton on the project.

He said: “People and businesses in Crediton pay almost £6 million a year for electricity and gas, almost all of that money leaves the local economy.

How much better it would be if some of that was spent locally, supporting the local community?”

Sustainable Crediton member, Charles Mossman, said: “We have great experience running renewable energy projects, we successfully arranged the installation of photovoltaic panels on 70 homes and two community buildings over a two year period, with project turnover close to £750,000.

“And our Warm Homes Pilot Project last year installed air source heat pumps and solar hot water panels in eight homes.

“We are also fortunate that Mid Devon District Council understands the benefits of renewable energy. It has installed a state of the art biomass boiler at Lord's Meadow Leisure Centre, and is a leading local authority in installing solar PV in its social housing.”

RCEF helps rural communities develop renewable energy projects which deliver local economic and social benefits and reduce use of fossil fuels. It is being delivered by WRAP on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) David Rogers, Programme Manager for WRAP said: “I'm delighted that Sustainable Crediton's bid has been successful.

“I look forward to working with them on this exciting community renewable energy project.

“Our initial grant will pay for investigations into the project's feasibility.

“A further £130,000 could then be available as an unsecured loan to develop a robust business case and attract further investment. We are particularly keen for local people to have the chance to invest, because renewable energy can offer a good financial return, and help support the local economy.”

The new project builds on significant work already carried out locally.