WORK has begun on turning the 50-year-old loss-making Totnes Civic Hall into a sun- fuelled eco powerhouse — which will pump electricity into the national grid and help slash taxpayers' bills.

More than 70 photovoltaic cells are being fitted to the south-facing roof of the town centre hall as part of a major scheme to cut the old building's carbon footprint.

The work is costing £50,000 — part of Totnes Transition Street's project which won a £500,000 Government grant to fund innovative ways to make the whole Totnes community more eco friendly.

Totnes Town Council, which owns the hall, is pumping in another £15,000 to overhaul the building's old electrical system to enable to eco power scheme to go ahead.

The work on the hall began a fortnight ago and is expected to be completed by Saturday, September 18, when it is planned to hold an energy fair from 11am until 4pm at the hall and unveil the new power system.

Totnes Mayor Tony Whitty said: "The aim is to have a community building which would have a reducing carbon footprint.

"The civic hall is now 50 years old and is a concrete block that is incredibly inefficient."

He said the town council had tried for several years to find ways of improving or redeveloping the hall but had recognised that in the current financial climate, it was likely to be at least another decade before anything could be done.

Until now, the hall has cost £5,000 to £6,000 a year to heat and light — part of the £20,000 a year Totnes taxpayers hand over to keep the building going.

It is hoped that income from selling power generated by the cells to the National Grid will help cut the bills and pay for future improvements.

The Transition Streets project driven by the Transition Town Totnes organisation has involved groups of people in various parts of the town become more eco friendly by using solar cells, insulation and even changing their lifestyles to lower their carbon footprint.

On September 11 and 12, people will be able to visit 13 homes in the town to see how they have made the significant eco friendly improvements.

A Transition Town Totnes spokesman said: "This is a great opportunity to see what people have achieved."

Eleven of the properties are refurbished homes and demonstrate just what can be achieved in homes ranging from Victorian farmhouses to modern buildings.

Visitors can also see the thatched cob cottage under construction in Dartington and the hydro-electric generator installed in Dartington Tweed Mill.

The spokesman said that visiting times varied for each location so people should visit http://totnes.transitionnetwork. org