Cookham Crier

A new group launches in Cookham this week to involve the local community in tackling the climate and environmental crisis. Called Cookhams Footprint the group will address all aspects of the crisis but it will focus initially on energy.

Launching on the day that energy prices rise by 54%, Cookhams Footprint’s founders aim to help residents avoid heat escaping from their homes, save money, reduce climate change emissions and, by encouraging local energy generation, improve security of supply. A key part of their mission will be to support families in fuel poverty.

“Consumers currently face a triple whammy of issues”, says one of Cookhams Footprint founders Paul Strzelecki. “The accelerating cost of living, the pressure of climate change and the threat to security of energy supply force us to make big changes. Action by the government and our local council is crucial but real progress will only come if we make changes in the way we run our own lives. We want our new initiative to help Cookhamites do just that.”

Cookham’s energy use per household is already 50% above the national average with households spending Ł5 million in 2021, or an average of Ł2000 per home - which is likely to double over this year. “If people aren’t doing anything about it now they will be wanting to soon”, Paul says. “The good news is that the new pressure to cut energy use will also help us to cut our emissions.”

Cutting energy use and preventing waste are the immediate priorities. “We’ll be providing tips, sharing experience and generally helping people through what can be a really confusing journey”, says the group’s Sue Teasdale. She adds, “Helping those most in need is our priority. Cookham is a close knit and caring community, and hopefully we’ll all come together to help and share advice. We’re recruiting a team of local volunteers to be our Energy Champions who help people through this difficult journey”.

The longer term aim is to make Cookham as self-sufficient in energy as possible, with more households using solar, heat pump and other technologies. A team has been set up to look at larger scale community generation schemes based on solar, wind, ground source and energy from the River Thames. The group will work with the council and other bodies to drive its programme forward with a target to reduce emissions by 50% in five years and be among the lowest cost energy communities in the country.

The group has made strong progress since meeting for the first time in January. Now the need is for more volunteers to lead and develop the programmes. “We want to involve individuals and the more than 50 community groups across Cookham, including our schools and churches”, Paul says. Anyone wanting to learn more or get involved can contact the group at cookhamsfootprint@gmail.com.