Villages getting help to offset sharp rise in home fuel bills

The scheme which was launched in the North York Moors last summer is now looking to double the number of villages taking part to provide a respite from the escalating cost of oil, gas and electricity.

A similar project is being run by the Yorkshire Energy Partnership in the Yorkshire Dales to provide advice on securing grants for green technologies such as solar panels and biomass boilers as well as insulating homes.

Concerns are now escalating that the advent of dramatic increases in fuel bills will plunge many households already struggling with the economic slump into fuel poverty.

Organisers of the Green Communities project in the North York Moors are now looking to build on the initial successes over the last 12 months.

Project co-ordinator Rosie Hughes admitted that rural communities are often faced with specific problems as properties fall within conservation areas and cannot be adapted with eco-friendly technology due to strict planning regulations.

The often low wage levels in traditional countryside industries such as agriculture and forestry have compounded the financial pressures which many households are facing.

However the Green Communities scheme has already registered some major successes, including expanding the use of oil co-operatives which are able to save money by placing bulk orders.

A syndicate operating in the Lower Swale area managed to purchase oil at a price of under 50p a litre, when the average quote had come in at more than 54p a litre.

Miss Hughes said: “There are obviously very real concerns about household bills, which are only expected to rise in the coming months. We want to try to do all we can to help rural communities, and that is why we are looking to expand the scheme.

“It’s easy for small communities to question how much a single community can possibly do about global climate change but together, these groups have got stuck in and tackled the specific challenges they face.”

Energy companies announced last month that they are planning prise rises of nearly 20 per cent to counter increases in wholesale cost of gas and oil.

Latest figures have revealed the number of households in fuel poverty in the UK rose by one million from 2008 to 2009, reaching a total of five million.

Households are classed as being in fuel poverty if 10 per cent of income is spent on keeping properties warm. A fifth of Yorkshire’s households were classed as fuel poor in 2009 compared to an English average of 18.5 per cent.

The Department of Energy and Climate Change admitted the increase is due to rising fuel costs rather than the economic downturn.

The Green Communities project in the North York Moors has so far helped to establish two oil co-operative clubs – in Husthwaite and Osmotherley. The initiative has also helped provide grants to insulate the lofts of 16 stone properties and install two solar panel systems in Fylingdales with a further two already underway.

The sister project in the Yorkshire Dales has given specialist advice to boost energy efficiency at homes in Grassington, Threshfield, Clapham, Horton-in-Ribblesdale and Kirby Malzeard.

Both projects have been funded through the LEADER rural development programme as well as sources such as the North York Moors National Park Authority and the Howardian Hills Area Of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The £76,000 North York Moors project is due to run until May next year, while the £110,000 Dales scheme is expected to end in March.

More information on the North York Moors initiative is available from Miss Hughes on 01904 554408.