Energy efficient

Ben Earl is Water Efficiency Manager for Southern Water. In both his personal and professional life he is passionate about helping the environment.

As part of his commitment to tackling climate change, Ben has retrofitted his house for energy efficiency; some of the changes include LED lighting throughout, cavity wall insulation and a solar hot water system. He switched to a 100% renewable energy provider and took part in a project to encourage households to use the brown food waste recycling bins. The Council has assisted Ben by providing an energy performance certificate, allowing him to update the energy efficiency rating of his property.

In his role as Water Efficiency Manager at Southern Water, Ben worked with the Council to help provide over 2,000 subsidised water butts to local residents.

He encourages people to get together and help the environment through the Eastleigh Sustainable Vision - a small group of social media connected residents wanting to take action to improve the environment. He is now working with the Council to deliver long-term improvements associated with new housing developments to make them both water and energy efficient.

Ben believes there needs to be a drive to enable every resident to live in a warm, cheap to heat, energy efficient home. Homes also need to be water efficient to ensure that there's enough water flowing through precious chalk streams, such as the River Itchen.

He would also like people in the area to get involved in tackling climate change themselves, starting with small, simple changes, such as replacing old light bulbs energy efficient equivalents. He encourages people to look at what grants are available to support the more difficult measures and to talk to the sustainability team at Eastleigh Borough Council for support.