Lismore Community Council, working with the Lismore Community Trust Interim Board, recently applied for funding from the Climate Challenge Fund, for an energy project on Lismore.  Earlier this year we heard that our bid was successful and we have been awarded £46,800 to be spent by the end of March 2011. 

About the Lismore Energy Project

The Lismore community needs to reduce its carbon footprint (by 42% by 2020 and 50% by 2050) and this will
be a challenge given its peripheral location and large distances travelled to get anywhere; constant rain and
relatively poor housing stock.

Recent studies commissioned by Argyll and Bute Council indicate that at least 51.7% of households in Oban, Lorn
and the Inner Isles (which includes Lismore) are in fuel poverty and anecdotal evidence suggest that rates on Lismore could be even higher than this.

The community highlighted the need for energy efficiency and renewable projects in community consultation days
in 2008 and 2009. Since then, potential projects have been discussed by the Lismore Community Trust
Steering Group and the project aims to

Ø  Build capacity and resilience within the community

Ø  Ensure a sustainable future by reducing emissions of greenhouse gases and our dependency
on fossil fuels

Ø  Encourage energy saving installations and behavioural change

Ø  Provide energy educational information and raise the awareness of the options open
to the island residents

Ø  Promote the use of local produce

Ø  Promote the benefits of recycling and composting

Ø  Encourage low carbon travel

Ø  Research community biased renewable projects.

We also aim to identify the barriers to individuals becoming actively involved in carbon reduction measures
in remote rural and, specifically, Island communities and to find ways of overcoming them.

Part 1 will involve conducting household energy audits; preparing household energy saving/carbon reduction plans;
helping eligible households to fund and install insulation.