A Nobel Prize winner is to head up a question time panel focusing on issues around energy and energy saving.
Organised by Transition Wilmslow, this free event will take place at Wilmslow High School on Friday 24th February.
Local resident Professor Geoff Levermore, currently Emeritus Professor at the University of Manchester, was one of the team on the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) which was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 2007, alongside climate campaigner Al Gore, for their efforts in bringing the subject into the global arena.
A professor of the built environment at the University of Manchester, Professor Levermore helped write and edit a chapter on residential and commercial buildings and their impact on climate change.
The public meeting launches Transition Wilmslow's programme designed to inform the local community about energy issues as well as supporting energy saving solutions.
A study into the feasibility of a Wilmslow based biodigester to handle local waste and to generate energy for local use is included in the project that is supported by LEAF funding from the Department of Energy and Climate Change to help promote energy efficiency and renewable energy generation.
Also on the question time panel will be Cllr Rod Menlove, Cabinet Member for Environmental Services for Cheshire East Council, Eleanor Underhill, General Manager of the National Trust's Quarry Bank Mill, and James Eggleston, currently studying for his A levels at the High School. The panel is being chaired by Professor John Handley of the School of Environment and Development at Manchester University.
Rachel Corrigan from Transition Wilmslow said "Householders pay a substantial amount on heating their homes so if we can show them where they are losing heat and identify simple ways to reduce heat loss we both save energy and money. At the same time we will be conducting surveys of the various church and community halls around Wilmslow, to help them to identify possible reductions."
Householders along with community and church halls will be offered the chance to have their buildings checked for heat loss using hand-held heat detecting thermal cameras. The images can be used to decide whether a more in-depth survey of the building is needed and whether the free services of the Groundwork Trust's Green Doctors would be useful. Transition Wilmslow has teamed up with the Wilmslow High School Eco Team and its own volunteers to photo as many houses as they can.
The Energy Question Time event will start at 7.30pm at Wilmslow High School on Friday 24th February.
For further information visit the Transition Wilmslow website.
