Energy Saving and Renewables - Tanya Ewing

Thu, Sep 1st 2016 at 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Energy Saving and Renewables - Tanya Ewing

Tanya Ewing

TANYA EWING: TECHNICAL ENTREPRENEUR EXTRODINAIRE

The autumn programme of the Bridge of Allan and Dunblane Rotary Club opened with a stimulating and challenging talk by Tanya Ewing, an inspirational inventor and technical entrepreneur who lives is Perth.

 She described how, in 2006, she had been frustrated by the cost of her gas and electricity, and the real difficulty of seeing what energy she was using.   Despite at that time being wheelchair bound, she set out to find a way to create a visual display that would provide her with the necessary information.  Over the next 18 months she researched possible solutions, working with a number of technical collaborators.  The result was a real-time energy monitor named Ewgeco (Electricity –Gas –Eco), with a user-friendly visual display.  This enables households to see how much energy they are using, and helps them to adjust their usage to save both energy and money.  This monitor is now compulsory in new-build houses, and has been widely taken up in existing homes. 

 In 2008 Tanya was voted “British Female Inventor of the Year” for her achievement. She gained further recognition, including an invitation to speak to 1700 women in South Africa, and she was invited by the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills to join the UK Entrepreneurs’ Forum. Her inventing and entrepreneurial skills were also recognised in July last year when she was awarded an honorary degree from Edinburgh Napier University, a PhD in Technology.


 For many, and particularly for one with a family to care for, all this might have been enough.  But not for Tanya.  Recognising what she described as the imminence of an energy crisis and the increasing cost of energy, she turned her innovative skills to finding another way of saving both energy and money.  She focused on heat lost through single-glazed windows.  There are some 65 million single-glazed windows in the UK, so the potential for making a difference is great.  However, in many instances it is not possible simply to replace the whole window with a double-glazed alternative, either because of cost or planning objections.  Tanya’s solution was typically innovative: she produced a flexible magnetic secondary glazing film.  This can readily be fitted to existing windows, reducing heat loss and with a reduction in external noise.  The installation is quick, unobtrusive, and the film can be quickly removed for cleaning.

 Looking at the broad issue of energy available nationally and the current levels of consumption, Tanya pointed out that whereas the UK had been an exporter of energy, it is now an importer.   What steps can we take to remedy this?  Backup generators can be used, but they are expensive and relatively inefficient.  More effective is helping families to understand and reduce their energy consumption.   This means looking carefully at the use of central heating, considering extra insulation to reduce heat loss, and using more efficient devices such as LED bulbs.  Taken together, these will give a guaranteed financial payback and reduce the country’s overall requirement for energy.

 Turning to the economy, Tanya pointed to the emergence of several alternative models of company formation.  She highlighted companies, like Ebay, Skyscanner and Airbnb that own nothing, but transact huge amounts of business.  She also identified a model where companies are focusing on ensuring zero waste, by, for example, a complete recycling of all the materials they are using.  In a somewhat different business mould, she identified Power of Youth, Scotland, whose aims include working in harmony with local communities and taking active measures to minimise harm done to the environment. These models, she suggested, showed some ways in which the economic environment is changing.

Members were deeply impressed by Tanya’s obvious innovative approach to energy conservation, and the entrepreneurial drive that has been associated with it.  Speaker’s Host Hugh Macrae reflected on this and members were quick to respond to his call for appreciation for Tanya’s talk.

There will be a meeting on Thursday 8 September in the Westlands Hotel, Doune Road, at 6.00 for 6-30pm. The speaker will be Rotarian Jill Adams who will speak about the history of Queen Victoria School in Dunblane.. Visitors are always very welcome to meetings.  Anyone interested in attending should contact the Club Secretary, Iain Fraser at secretary@dunblanerotary.org.  Tel: 01786 822751.  More information can be found on the Club website: www.dunblanerotary.org.uk or the Facebook site: www.facebook.com/dunblanerotary.

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