Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some frequently asked questions we get, but if there is anything else you’d like to know, we are more than happy to answer your questions.
Send us a message through our contact page.
What is Net Zero?
Net Zero is when the amount of greenhouse gases produced are equal to the amount removed from the atmosphere. Currently, we produce a lot more carbon emissions than is being removed by our trees and green spaces. At Net Zero Leiston, we are focussing on carbon emissions.
What are the carbon sources within Leiston?
In Leiston, there are three main sources of carbon emissions: transport, buildings, and agriculture. Emissions from vehicles account for around 3,800 tonnes of carbon within the Leiston area. Agriculture is a smaller sector, only around 300 out of 15000 tonnes of carbon dioxide. The remaining 11000 tonnes comes from heating and powering buildings, both domestically and non-domestically.
Why is reaching Net Zero important?
Carbon dioxide and the other greenhouse gases (e.g. methane, oxides of nitrogen) are the main contributors to global warming, which creates climate change. Climate change will lead to rising sea levels, increased desertification, and more extreme weather events.
The government have made a legally binding commitment to reaching Net Zero as a country by 2050, and we, as a town, have an opportunity to be a national leader in reducing our carbon emissions.
What can I do to reduce emissions?
There are plenty of ways you can lower your carbon emissions, through everyday actions and large changes to your life. The biggest source of carbon emissions in Leiston is heating and powering buildings. Any way you can reduce that helps with carbon emissions. This can be anything from turning off lights when you don’t need them, to installing heat-pumps and insulation.
For more information on this, see our Net Zero Actions page.
Some of these actions might seem minor, but added together, they form a critical path towards our goal of a Net Zero Leiston.
How can Net Zero Leiston help me?
One of the main actions for Net Zero Leiston is supporting is based on energy reduction, by improving the energy efficiency of homes and businesses. This is not only a key part of reducing carbon emissions but helps significantly with lowering heating bills and increasing energy security within homes. We don’t offer funding ourselves, but we can provide advice and support with applying for grants and can signpost to currently available funding. If you’d like more information on what we can offer you, get in touch via the contact page.
Some key funds are the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS), the Energy Company Obligation (ECO), the Affordable Warmth scheme and the Green Deal scheme.
We also offer advice on other ways you can reduce your carbon footprint whilst improving your health and wellbeing, and reducing your bills. For more information on this, check out Net Zero Actions
How can I find funding?
There are lots of potential sources of funding, most are dependent on what you aim to achieve. Some key ones are the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS), smart export guarantee tariff, Rural Community Energy Fund (RCEF), Energy Company Obligation (ECO), affordable warmth scheme, and the green deal.
If you’d like to find out more on what you might be eligible for, send us a message via the contact page.
How can Net Zero Leiston help my business
Net Zero Leiston has a variety of ways to help small and medium size businesses, primarily working with you to give you a simple path to reduce your carbon emissions. There are lots of sources of funding which can assist in reducing carbon emissions, from both government and charities. We, at Net Zero Leiston, can recommend which ones to apply for and help with the application, making it easy for you to reduce your carbon emissions.
If you’d like to find out more about what you might be eligible for, send us a message, we’d love to hear from you!
Being a part of the Net Zero community has become more important for businesses over the recent years, as customers become more demanding about environmental performance. Reducing your carbon emissions gives you an edge over competition and helps the environment.
How can other towns replicate this?
For other towns looking to reach net zero, we recommend you look at our route map summary document and full technical manual as it explains some of the key steps that are required to start on the road to net zero. Some of the key, early parts of developing a project like ours are defining the project boundaries, establishing sources of emissions, community engagement, what small actions can be taken, and what large actions can be taken.
If you’d like more details on how to do this, request a copy of our route map via our contact page.