The National Trust has won the top prize for the UK in the prestigious Ashden Awards for green energy achievement. The charity has almost halved its energy use and CO2 emissions in Wales in just two years.
The pioneering work of the charity was recognised as the most outstanding achievement in green energy throughout the UK. They were presented with the £20,000 Ashden Gold Award by Kevin McCloud of Channel Four’s Grand Designs at a ceremony held at the Royal Geographical Society in London on 29th May.
Judges of the Ashden Awards were impressed by the conservation charity’s dynamic, common sense approach to saving energy, improving energy efficiency, and producing green energy in their continued drive to make the National Trust in Wales energy self sufficient by 2020.
Sarah Butler-Sloss, Ashden Founder-Director, said: ‘The National Trust’s work stood out for its strategic vision, its thorough approach, its expertise, and for getting everyone on board, from cleaners through to senior management. Most impressive of all, it has shown that if huge energy savings can be made in historic listed buildings, they can be made in any building.’
Now in their 12th year, the Ashden Awards champion practical, local energy solutions that cut carbon, protect the environment, boost economies and improve people’s lives in the UK and developing world.
Keith Jones, National Trust Wales Environmental Adviser, said: ‘Winning the Ashden award is a fantastic achievement and recognition of the Fit For The Future energy work and approach of the National Trust in Wales.
‘The award and support from Ashden is assisting us to now look at the possibility of setting up a company to help others save energy and look at appropriate renewable technologies on older buildings.’
The reductions in energy use are now saving the charity £280,000 a year, and have cut its annual CO2 emissions by 1,700 tonnes. Over the last two years, more than one hundred Trust properties in Wales have been insulated, and numerous solar, hydro and ground source heat pump power systems have been installed generating over 700MWh a year.
The National Trust is to reduce its use of fossil fuels across England, Wales and Northern Ireland by 50 per cent by 2020. The move will cut the Trust’s carbon emissions from energy use for heat and electricity by 45 per cent.
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