Wind of change for Happisburgh Coast Watch thanks to new turbine funded by E.ON

The cabin, which is located above the beach at Cart Gap between Happisburgh and Sea Palling, is open every day throughout the year. Happisburgh Coast Watch volunteers keep a close eye on users of the water, coastline and cliffs, and alert the coastguard and RNLI if they spot boats or people in trouble.

The watch station was recently relocated to Cart Gap and already has solar panels. The E.ON Energising Communities Fund covered the full £1,000 cost of the wind turbine, which works alongside the solar panels and provides effective back up during the winter months.

Mark Howson, Treasurer of Happisburgh Coast Watch, made the application to the E.ON Energising Communities Fund and oversaw the turbine’s installation earlier this year. Mark said: “As a charity, we’re totally dependent on donations and volunteers. All our fundraising used to be spent on gas bottles for the heating, which we’ve been able to do away with now we’ve got the turbine.

“Many of our volunteers are retirees, and some of them couldn’t help out over the winter as they found it too cold in the cabin. We’re now able to offer a warmer, more comfortable environment for all of our volunteers, and between the turbine and our solar panels can produce electricity for heating and to power the equipment we use to monitor shipping in the area.”

Suzanne Roe, E.ON’s Corporate Responsibility and Community Relations Manager, said: “It’s heartening to hear about Happisburgh Coast Watch, providing a vital service in north Norfolk just through the efforts of its volunteers and donated funds. They’d already identified the turbine model best suited to their needs when they approached us for support though our Energising Communities Fund, and we were delighted to be able to cover the full cost for them. I gather the volunteers are already feeling the benefits of the installed turbine.

“E.ON’s Energising Communities Fund was launched back in 2013, since when over 100 community groups and charities in England, Scotland and Wales have had a share of the more than £185,000 we’ve given away.”

The E.ON Energising Communities Fund is one of the ways E.ON is supporting community groups, schools and charities to become more energy efficient and to save money on their heating bills. Visit eonenergy.com/tomorrow to find out more about E.ON’s solutions for households and businesses.

To help people better understand their energy use, E.ON is installing smart meters for customers across Britain. Customers can visit eonenergy.com/smart for more information about E.ON’s self-reading smart meters and to see if they are able to get one installed. If eligible today, they can also book an appointment online.