Many people contributed and participated, but the contribution of Tony Nicholas deserves particular mention. Tony was an active committee member who later served as Chair of the project through to completion. Tony brought his experience and enthusiasm for home energy efficiency retrofitting, and among his practical contributions he introduced us to heat reflective paint, was active with data logging of temperatures in the various buildings to monitor their performance, and interviewed tradespeople about what they learned through working on the retrofit. Already in his eighties, he was up and down ladders mounting data logging thermometers, climbing up on the roof, anywhere he needed to be.
Tony Nicholas with solar installer Matt, March 2010
As project Chair Tony was impressive for his easy, light-hearted and enthusiastic style that ensured we met formal accountability requirements without these ever seeming like the primary aim. His focus and energy were always directed toward doing the best possible job of the task at hand. It was remarkable to have a project Chair who undermined the formality of meetings with humour and anecdotes, that were in fact relevant. But it was only through talking to his daughter Sarah in 2014 that I learned he had done something like that wherever he worked.
David Arnold
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