Key Points
- Home energy open day will be hosted by communities in West Wales for people living in houses to be warmer and cut their energy bills this winter.
- The open day will take place at Y Stiwdio in Hermon, north Pembrokeshire, on 7 November, between 10am and 1pm.
- This open day will be linked with the Cwm Arian Renewable Energy (CARE), a community benefit society located in West Wales who provide energy advice and support for local renewable energy projects.
- Y Stiwdio is an arts and sustainability centre in Hermon, developed from the renovation of the former garage with locally sourced materials and volunteer effort.
- The open day is happening just when Welsh households can benefit from wider services through the Welsh Government’s Nest Warm Homes Programme that gives free and impartial advice and energy efficiency improvements for eligible households.
- Over 60,000 households in Wales have got home energy improvements since 2011 from Nest, which includes heating systems, insulation and solar panels.
- The details about the open day in West Wales seem to be limited. There were no speakers’ list, exhibitors’ list, booking requirement or any saving estimates mentioned in the available reporting.
Wales (Wales Times) October 16, 2026 — Households in West Wales are being invited to a free home energy open day at Y Stiwdio in Hermon, north Pembrokeshire, on Saturday, 7 November, from 10am to 1pm, in an effort to help residents keep warm and reduce their energy bills this winter.
As reported by The Pembrokeshire Herald, the event is described as a free home energy open day aimed at helping people stay warmer and cut bills during the colder months. The report identifies Y Stiwdio in Hermon as the venue and states that the session will run between 10am and 1pm on Saturday, 7 November.
The open day is linked to Cwm Arian Renewable Energy, known as CARE. A caption accompanying coverage of the story describes the occasion as “Cwm Arian’s home energy open day”. CARE is a Community Benefit Society working in north-east Pembrokeshire; according to the Welsh Government, it has supported local sustainability projects including a community wind turbine near Hermon and the transformation of a former village garage into Y Stiwdio.
What will the open day offer?
The available reporting does not provide a detailed programme for the event, nor does it name individual advisers, exhibitors or speakers. It does, however, present the open day as an opportunity for households to receive information connected with home energy use, warmth and winter bills.
CARE describes its wider work as including energy advice and exploration of ways to develop local renewable energy, alongside community, land-based and arts projects. Its website lists Y Stiwdio, Hermon, as a venue for community activities and gives the postcode SA36 0DX.
Y Stiwdio is described by Visit Pembrokeshire as an arts and sustainability hub in Hermon, positioning it as a community-focused location for learning and practical sustainability activity. The Welsh Government’s account of CARE’s history states that the building was created from a run-down garage, using locally grown materials and constructed with volunteers under expert guidance.
Why is the event focused on winter bills?
The timing places the open day ahead of winter, when household energy demand typically rises because of heating use. The organisers’ stated aim, as reported by The Pembrokeshire Herald, is to help people remain warmer and reduce bills.
Households in West Wales may also be able to draw on the Welsh Government’s Nest Warm Homes Programme. According to GOV.WALES, Nest provides free impartial advice on energy and water tariffs, benefits that may increase household income, and potential eligibility for free home energy-efficiency improvements.
Nest says its advisers can recommend a tailored package of improvements for eligible households, which may include boiler repair or replacement, a heat pump, insulation or solar panels. The programme says it has delivered free home energy improvements to more than 60,000 Welsh households since 2011.
Who is behind the event?
Cwm Arian Renewable Energy is a Community Benefit Society based in West Wales. Its stated purpose includes helping communities build practical land-based skills, reconnect with nature, care for the environment, access energy advice and explore local renewable energy.
The organisation’s work in Hermon includes a 700kW community wind turbine, which followed a 13-year campaign, according to the Welsh Government’s St David Awards profile of CARE. The same profile says CARE has also run a “Super Solar” event, teaching 13 people how to connect and use a small solar-panel system.
The open day therefore forms part of a broader local approach that combines practical energy advice with community-owned sustainability infrastructure. The Welsh Government profile describes CARE’s activities as intended to create positive environmental and social change in north-east Pembrokeshire.
How can residents attend?
The reported event details are straightforward: it is free, takes place at Y Stiwdio in Hermon, and runs from 10am to 1pm on Saturday, 7 November. The available coverage does not state whether advance booking is required, whether refreshments will be available, or whether translation, accessibility support or childcare will be provided.
Residents seeking further information about CARE’s activities can contact the organisation through the details listed on its website, which includes a phone number for its Crymych base: 01239 831602. CARE also lists an email address for Y Stiwdio-related enquiries: stiwdio@cwmarian.org.uk.
For households unable to attend, Nest says anyone in Wales can contact its advisers for free energy and money-saving advice by calling 0808 808 2244 between 9am and 6pm, Monday to Friday, or by requesting a callback.
Background of the development
The open day takes place against a wider policy backdrop in Wales, where home-energy efficiency is treated as both a cost-of-living and climate issue. The Welsh Government says Nest has provided improvements such as heating systems, insulation and solar panels since 2011, with the stated aim of lowering bills and improving health and wellbeing.
Nest’s eligibility approach focuses on households on low incomes or receiving means-tested benefits, particularly where homes have poor energy-performance ratings or where a resident has a chronic health condition. The programme also says it can direct people who do not qualify towards other schemes, including Green Homes Wales, the Great British Insulation Scheme, Connected for Warmth and the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.
CARE’s involvement reflects a community-energy model in which local organisations deliver practical support alongside larger public programmes. The Welsh Government records that CARE converted a former garage in Hermon into Y Stiwdio, a sustainable community building, and has used the site for skills-based sustainability events.
Prediction: How can this affect West Wales households?
For West Wales residents, the open day could provide a practical starting point for identifying ways to reduce heat loss, understand energy tariffs and find out whether they qualify for funded improvements. Because the event is free and locally based, it may be particularly relevant to households that prefer in-person advice or have difficulty navigating national schemes online.
If attendees follow up on the information provided, the potential effect would depend on their circumstances: some may be directed towards Nest or another support scheme, while others may receive advice on everyday energy-saving measures. Nest says eligible households can receive a tailored package of improvements, which could include insulation, heating measures or solar panels.
For CARE and Y Stiwdio, the event may strengthen local engagement with energy advice and community sustainability work. For the wider Hermon and north Pembrokeshire community, its immediate value will rest on attendance, the quality of advice offered on the day, and whether households are able to convert that advice into warmer homes and lower winter energy costs.
