PIONEERING SCHEME GIVES 1000 HOUSEHOLDS CHANCE TO CUT THEIR ENERGY BILLS (York Liberal Democrats)

York Liberal Democrats <info@yorklibdems.org.uk>

PIONEERING SCHEME GIVES 1000 HOUSEHOLDS CHANCE TO CUT THEIR ENERGY BILLS

November 3, 2009 12:00 AM

Over 1000 households in York have benefited from a pioneering scheme to help residents save money on their energy bills.

Last Christmas smart meters were made available in the city's libraries to help residents understand how much energy they were using and how they could cut down.

The smart meters display the amount of energy currently being used in the house so residents can see when they use the most energy and test the impact of making changes in their lifestyle.

Liberal Democrat Executive Member for Leisure, Culture and Social Inclusion, Councillor Nigel Ayre said the initiative had been a great success. He said, "In the ten months since we introduced the smart meters they have been borrowed over 1000 times."

"That means over 1000 households have been given the chance to slash their energy bills and help reduce their carbon footprint."

"It is great to see that we can use our libraries to empower people to take action by giving them access to the information they need to make a change. It is very satisfying to see that a relatively simple and inexpensive scheme can have such a bit impact."

Liberal Democrat Councillor Christian Vassie, who championed the introduction on the smart meters said, "I am delighted at the success of our initiative. Not only have we empowered residents across the city, by giving them the means to understand and reduce energy use in their homes, we are helping to change the nation."

"Local authorities and libraries across the country are copying York's pioneering initiative, recognising that if residents are to cut their CO2 emissions they have to have access to the tools to do the job."

"It is a tragedy that government continues to refuse to act on requiring all power companies to provide smart metering to all households. Grand gestures and big speeches are all very well but it is the smaller practical measures that actually make a real difference."