Ground breaking scheme to save energy to launch in Warrington

TOGETHER Energy – the Scottish energy company in which Warrington has an £18 million stake – is to take part in a ground-breaking project to design a Smart Local Energy System to generate energy savings for customers.
Rewire-NW will be piloted in Warrington but has the potential to be rolled out to other parts of the UK in the future.
By using 5G and data-centric intelligence, the project will look at ways to drive the local energy systems towards lower costs and lower carbon emissions.
Working with 11 other partners from the energy industry, local government, charity and academia, the two year project has received £2.8m with 50 per cent funding from the UK Research and Innovation national funding agency and 50 per cent funding from the partners.
Led by community energy and sustainability charity, Pure Leapfrog, the project will assess ways of optimising the current energy infrastructure in Warrington. This will include average cost savings of 25 per cent and meet the Fifth Carbon Budget target to reduce the UK’s greenhouse emissions. It forms part of a green revolution that will see the energy consumed in the UK getting closer to zero carbon, as well as reducing in cost and being easier to access.
Paul Richards, chief executive, Together Energy said, “Collaboration is definitely the way forward to initiate new thinking and share investment to drive change in the energy market. We’re looking forward to developing practical changes that will ultimately benefit customers and communities at large.”
The project is one of 10 smart energy initiatives to be recognised in a competition run by the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), a public body sponsored by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, designed to help achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
Pure Leapfrog chief executive Claire Hanratty said, “Project Rewire gives us a unique opportunity to secure a seat at the table for community energy, when designing the next generation of low carbon energy systems. This will ensure that future energy systems will have to consider their social impact as well as environmental and that the energy transition is a ‘just transition’.
Warrington Borough Council has a 50 per cent stake in Together Energy which recently announced it is to open an office in Warrington and has launched a recruitment campaign in the borough, looking to take on at least 20 new staff.