10 February 2006
Cornwall Switch, the campaign to promote renewable electricity tariffs in Cornwall , has announced the result of its latest prize draw. The winner, Jane Haslam of Penzance, will have her household electricity bills paid for a year.
Jane is one of scores of householders and small businesses who have opted for green electricity via Cornwall Switch since the campaign launched last year.
Jane Haslam said: “It's a great surprise, and a very nice one! Funnily enough, I heard about Cornwall Switch when I saw an article in the paper about the last prize-winner, but it wasn't the idea of winning a year's free electricity that persuaded me to switch. Like a lot of people, I'm worried about global warming, and this seemed like a good way of doing something practical about it. I used the Cornwall Switch website to choose a green tariff, and found the actual process of switching very easy, with almost no paperwork to worry about.”
As well as buying her household electricity from renewable sources, Jane has also fitted solar panels on her roof to help heat the water for her house.
Tom Scott of Cornwall Switch said: “Climate change is such a massive threat that many people feel powerless to do anything about it. Switching to a green tariff is something that every household and business can do very simply at little or no cost. By using your power as a consumer, you can support the development of renewable energy that doesn't cause greenhouse gas emissions. We set up Cornwall Switch to make it as easy as possible for people to do this, and we're very encouraged by the response so far.”
Ben Simpson of Cornwall Greenpeace said: “The latest research shows climate change to be an even more serious threat than was previously thought, and that we're fast approaching a point of no return. Millions of people around the world are already suffering from floods, droughts and other climate-related disasters, but these will be dwarfed by the catastrophic changes that will occur if urgent action is not taken now. We only have a few years left to avoid the irreversible melting of the Greenland icecap, which would cause sea levels to rise by about 25 feet and put many coastal regions under water.”
Cornwall Switch is working with the national price comparison and switching service Energylinx, which is donating £10 for each person who transfers to a green tariff. After covering its campaign expenses, Cornwall Switch will be passing half of any funds raised to Oxfam and WaterAid – two charities working with people at the sharp end of climate change in the developing world – while the other half will be used to support small-scale sustainable energy projects in Cornwall .
Details of the green electricity tariffs recommended by Cornwall Switch can be found at www.cornwall-switch.org , or by calling freephone 0800 1088 333. The next prize draw will be held in April 2006, with Cornwall Switch paying the winner's electricity bills for a year, up to a maximum of £260.00.
Contact:
Tom Scott 01326 212960 email tmscott@btconnect.com
Ben Simpson 07886 08126 bensimpson@climateaction.co.uk
JPG photo available : Prizewinner Jane Haslam in front of the solar panels at her house.
NOTES TO EDITORS
1) Cornwall Switch is a not-for-profit campaign working in partnership with the price comparison and switching service Energylinx. For each customer who switches, Energylinx is donating £10 to Cornwall Switch. After covering its campaign expenses, Cornwall Switch will be passing any surplus income on to three good causes:
2) The South West Regional Development Agency (SWRDA) estimates that renewable energy has the potential to create a further 12,000 jobs and contribute an extra £260m annually to the South West economy.
3) Local organisations supporting the Cornwall Switch campaign include: Cornwall Friends of the Earth, Cornwall Greenpeace, Community Energy Plus, the Cornwall Wildlife Trust and the Cornwall Sustainable Tourism Project (CoaST).
4) The terms and conditions of the Cornwall Switch prize draws are as follows:
Entry is restricted to persons resident in the UK who are aged 18 or over and are not employees of Green Switch Climate Campaigns Ltd or of Energylinx Ltd, and who are not involved in organising the prize draws in any way. No purchase is necessary. It is also possible to enter the prize draws by sending a request in writing to Cornwall Switch, 12 Woodlane, Falmouth, Cornwall TR11 4RF, to be received by 10 September 2006. Only one entry and one win per person is allowed. Two further draws will be held: on 15 April 2006 and 15 September 2006 , and on each occasion a winner will be determined by way of a random draw from all entries received by the date of the respective draw. All entrants will be included in each prize draw, provided that they have not already won a prize. Prize winners will be notified directly in writing by post and/or by email. The promoter reserves the right to draw a further winner in the event of failure to respond to prize notification. Green Switch Climate Campaigns Ltd undertakes to pay the cost of the electricity used in the household or business of each prize draw winner for one year from the date of winning the respective draw, up to a total sum of £260 for each winner. Winners will be asked to supply copies of their electricity bills over this one-year period to Green Switch Climate Campaigns Ltd for verification purposes, and payment will only be made on receipt of these documents. Details of the winners will only be disclosed if the respective prize winners agree. It is hoped that prize winners will agree to their names being included in publicity material for the Cornwall Switch campaign. The sponsor of these prize draws is Green Switch Climate Campaigns Limited, address: 12 Woodlane, Falmouth , Cornwall TR11 4RF.
ENDS