16th Investment Update October 2020
Dear BCE Member
Engaged, Enabled and Resilient
Just about every Member of BCE will have had their year turned upside down in one way or another – through health concerns, with restrictions on movement, at work, in isolation from friends and family members, and even simply planning a holiday. It has been, and continues to be, a most volatile, uncertain and anxious year, to say the least. The pandemic remains utmost in everyone’s mind. To call it a distraction would simply be crass and insensitive. But we cannot afford to lose sight of nor fail to respond to the accelerating changes in our planet’s eco-systems, its climate and the impacts this is having across society. Whoever dreamt that temperatures within the Arctic Circle would exceed 36 degrees centigrade! Whatever our political viewpoint, we should unite around the principles of ‘Building Back Better’.
For BCE it means more decarbonised, locally generated energy – see our prospective Phase 3 solar PV project; it means ensuring fair access to support and community empowerment – see our plans for a thermal imaging project in Burneside; and it means working with partners to ensure that any new developments within the community really do rise to the opportunities of low carbon design (BCE’s Next Generation feasibility work). When we come out of this whirlpool, let’s ensure that BCE, its Members and the Parish it supports are as engaged, enabled and resilient as possible.
Payment of Interest – Your Action is Required
We will be sending out a 3% interest payment to all Members in December 2020 – representing interest paid for the year ending Dec 31st 2019. The decision to restrict payments to 3% this year owes itself to the delays in installing the Phase 2 solar PV panels during 2019. This system is now all up-and-running and meeting generation and financial projections.
To make these payments, we are asking ALL members to confirm their BACS details. All information will be deleted once payment has been made.
Please can you either email the following information to info@bce.org.uk or call Sharon Callaghan, our administrator on 07711002745:
Members Name:
Name on the bank account:
Sort code:
Account number
Type of account: personal or business
If you would like the payment to be made into an account that is not in your name please confirm that we have permission to make that transfer.
New Logo
If you haven’t noticed already, BCE has a new logo. Somewhat cheaper, by a matter of £ millions, than the change from Royal Mail to Insignia and back again, we launched our new logo at the AGM. We like to think it represents community, connectivity and power whilst maintaining a distinctive clarity and simplicity. But like all logos, it will inevitably mean and represent different things to different people. We hope you like it too.
Decisions from the AGM Covering the Year Ending Dec 31st 2019
We did it! Our first online AGM on Thursday 17th September 2020 was attended by 20 Members and including voting mechanisms and polls. Whilst the Board were sorry not to see Members face to face, the platform worked really well and we covered a lot of ground ….with a near- to-zero carbon footprint (there’s always a silver lining). The following significant decisions were agreed:
• To pay all Members 3% interest for the year ending 31st December 2019.
• To reappoint all of the existing Board Members.
• To reappoint Robinson and Udale Accountants for the 2020 period.
• To invoke the resolution to disapply the audit requirement in accordance with section 84 of the Co-Operative and Community Benefit Society Act 2014, which allows for an independent examination of our annual accounts by accountants but does not commit the Society to a comprehensive (and prohibitively expensive – our words!) audit.
• To pursue the opportunity of a Phase 3 Share Offer into 250kW of solar PV on the Technical Fibre Product (TFP) division of James Cropper PLC, so long as the Society and James Cropper plc can agree mutually favourable Heads of Terms, including a Power Purchase Agreement.
Application to South Lakeland District Council Climate Change Action Fund:
Thermal imaging and Cycling Project – ‘Connecting Carbon in Burneside’.
The rules of public limited companies and co-operatives are to serve their shareholders and Members, respectively. But the role of a Community Benefit Society (such as BCE) is to serve its community, not principally its Members (sorry!) That’s why the Members of BCE vote each year to dedicate any ‘surplus’ into community projects, such as gifting the local primary school solar PV panels. But there are other ways that BCE can serve its community.
In September 2020, BCE applied to the SLDC Climate Change Fund for a small grant to undertake thermal imaging of residents’ homes in Burneside this autumn. The aim is to help residents to better understand their energy use and to serve as a stepping stone to receiving support from projects like Cumbria Action for Sustainability’s Cold to Cosy Home Programme and the Government’s Green Homes Grant. See below for more information on the Green Homes Grant.
In addition, we have also applied for a small grant to support a cycling festival in Burneside for Summer 2021, to help get us back on our bikes, with a repair café, skills courses for all abilities, family cycling events and talks. We want to kick start a survey too, to see if we can drum up support for a safer cycling solution for journeying to and from Kendal.
We are currently awaiting a decision from SLDC and will let you know the outcome.
STOP PRESS: As of 22nd Oct 2020, we have just been notified that we have been successful! We’ll keep you updated as we develop the delivery plan for these two projects. Would you like to be involved in helping deliver these projects? Get in touch to find out more – info@bce.org.uk
Phase 3 Solar PV – Possible Share Offer for late 2020/early 2021 under investigation
As agreed in the AGM, we have carried out due diligence on the financial projections and generation potential of a 250kW solar PV array on the TFP building at James Cropper PLC, representing a ‘3rd Phase’ for BCE. We have a competitive quotation for installation and panel costs and are now at the stage of approaching James Cropper PLC to agree Heads of Terms and potentially a Power Purchase Agreement. Once we have had these discussions, we will let Members know the outcome. Let’s hope we can find a solution that supports low carbon generation, supports our local business and supports our community, with the hope of generating around a £1,000 of community benefit every year for the next 20 years.
A Note on Home Energy for Residents and for Members
Cumbria Action for Sustainability (www.cafs.org.uk) is running two webinars to help residents of Cumbria to understand the new grants for improved domestic energy retrofit. The first one is a thorough overview of the govt’s new Green Homes Grant scheme which could give people up to £10,000 for home improvements like insulation, new low-carbon heating system, double glazing, heating controls and more. Here’s the link for more info
Green Homes Grant – What You Need to Know – Tue 10 Nov, 7pm Click here
The second event gives an overview of several sources of support and funding, including Green Homes Grant and Cold to Cosy Homes, among others. Booking link below:
Home Improvements to Save Energy – Funding & Support – Wed 25 Nov, 5.30pm Click here
Burneside Community Energy is keen to bring as much information and support to the residents of our Parish (and to Members of BCE) to enable them to be warmer in Winter whilst keeping their fuel bills and their carbon to a minimum.
Get more involved
BCE is primarily a voluntary run organisation and we are looking for members and non-members who would like to get more involved to help with any of the projects or join the Board. Roles can be related to a particular project eg the thermal imaging project, Phase 3 installation, zero carbon feasibility study or of a more ongoing nature eg helping with our communications, oversight of the finances. Please get in touch with info@bce.org.uk if you would like to find out more.
Keeping in Touch
If you change your email address, residence or any details (including your BACS bank details) please contact info@bce.org.uk. Similarly, if you have any pressing enquiries, please get in contact and we will do our best to respond to your email as soon as we can. Thank you.
Yours Sincerely
Philip Davies,
Company Secretary
On behalf of the Directors of Burneside Community Energy Ltd.