KHT officer shortlisted for award

Published by philmc7 for Knowsley Housing Trust in Housing and also in Environment

A KHT officer has been nominated for his outstanding work in the It’s Our World Merseyside Environment Awards.

Anthony Jarvis, Corporate Social Responsibility Officer at Knowsley Housing Trust (KHT), has been shortlisted for the Personal Achievement Award recognising his work with tenants to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions.

He has helped save tenants hundreds of pounds on their energy bills and to reduce the carbon footprint of KHT’s communities.

He will now head to the awards evening on May 18 at St George’s Hall in Liverpool.

Anthony said: “It is a real honour to be nominated in these awards.

“I am passionate about my job. It is really satisfying when you see the difference it makes to people who may have been struggling to heat their homes and pay their energy bills, by simply switching energy tariffs or making small changes to the way they use energy in the home.”

Since his appointment in November 2009, Anthony has developed the ‘Save Energy, Save Money’ scheme which has been hugely successful.

The scheme includes home energy audits, advice on different energy tariffs and switching tariffs and providers. KHT has so far carried out 260 home energy audits with a predicted average saving of £100.

KHT staff, with Anthony’s guidance, have been able to engage with over 1000 customers through ‘Save Energy, Save Money’ and it is predicted to have made annual CO2 emissions savings of 224 tonnes.

Anthony has also worked with Global Action Plans to develop Eco Teams, where a community group focuses on reducing their individual carbon emissions across rubbish, energy, water and travel and monitors their own progress. There are 26 individuals currently involved in Eco Teams with a predicted annual saving of £170 each.

He has also helped to reduce KHT’s corporate carbon footprint, by establishing a working party to identify and review potential measures, from simple things like using a timer on the Hydroboiler to introducing a car share scheme for staff.

Anthony has promoted his energy efficiency message in a variety of ways, including writing articles in KHT publications, giving talks to local schools, attending community events where he could engage with residents and even purchasing an ‘energy bike’ to demonstrate how much energy is needed to power a radio or LED light.

The Environment Awards, in association with Groundwork Merseyside, have been designed to recognise and celebrate the work of community groups and public and private sector organisations who are contributing to the sustainable development of Merseyside.