Boroughbridge pub fears energy bills could increase seven-fold

A pub landlord in Boroughbridge has said he fears his energy costs could increase seven-fold overnight amid concerns over the future of Harrogate-based energy firm CNG Group.

The Stray Ferret reported this morning that CNG is to stop supplying gas to energy customers, amid record wholesale gas prices.

It has also been reported that there is a deadline of tomorrow for organisations to submit bids to buy CNG’s small and medium-sized enterprises arm, which directly supplies gas and electricity to more than 40,000 SMEs.

One of those is the Grantham Arms in Boroughbridge. Owner Simon Wade told the Stray Ferret the move would have a major impact on his business.

Mr Wade is three years into a five-year contract with CNG, which provides gas to heat the pub at a rate of 5p a unit.

However, if the company collapses, he has been told by his energy broker that he will be placed on an emergency tariff that could be as much as seven times higher than what he currently pays.

He said:

“I’m facing a massive hike and it’s nothing to do with us. It’s a major concern”

“We’re completely shackled and it’s put us in a bad position”.

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Mr Wade said the pub had a good reputation and has been busy since reopening after lockdown but he was concerned that sky-high energy bills would eat into his takings.

He urged businesses to check their contracts or get in touch with their energy brokers to see if they are with CNG and, if so, make contingency plans, such as moving towards renewable energy.

He added:

“If you have an old building that relies on gas it eats into your budget.

“We’re backed into a corner, but we’re small fry.

“A lot of people will suffer and it’s not any of our doing.”

The Stray Ferret asked CNG for details of its current situation but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

Harrogate to get £1.5m to improve net-zero energy infrastructure

Northern Powergrid will spend £1.5 million of government funding in Harrogate to increase the town’s energy capacity and help prepare for future decarbonisation.

The money will be spent on infrastructure upgrades that will support more electric bus use, electric vehicle charging points or other future net-zero needs.

The funding has come from the government’s energy regulator Ofgem and is part of £53 million that will be spent on 14 projects across the north of England.

Patrick Erwin, policy and markets director at Northern Powergrid, said:

“This is targeted investment in the region’s energy networks, which will kick-start projects and increase prosperity across the north.

“We play a critical role powering the everyday lives of the communities we serve. Electricity is one of the most important building blocks for economic growth. In the coming years, our reliance on electricity will increase as we turn to electricity to heat our homes and power our cars.”

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Meanwhile, latest figures from the Department for Transport show that the number of electric vehicles licensed in Harrogate has nearly doubled since 2019.

According to the data, the number registered in the district increased from 446 at the start of 2019 to 863 by the third quarter of 2020.

By comparison, the UK saw the number of vehicles licensed increase from 199,886 to 355,872.

The government will ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030.

Northern Energy submits plans to move from Hampsthwaite

Northern Energy has submitted plans to relocate its headquarters from Hampsthwaite to near Marton-cum-Grafton.

The company, which has an annual turnover of £27 million, has been based at its Hampsthwaite headquarters for over half a century.

It supplies more than 50 million litres of oil and liquid petroleum gas across the UK each year.

However, planning documents submitted to Harrogate Borough Council say the business has outgrown its current site:

“Such is the success of the business, the company have now outgrown their current premises on the edge of Hampsthwaite.

“Indeed, the location of the facility, some distance from the local highway network, and the absence of oil and fuel storage capacity on site is now beginning to hinder the business.”

The company wants to build its new headquarters on Limebar Lane, one kilometre from the village of Marton-cum-Grafton.

The plans include 10,000 square feet of office space, a vehicle depot, LPG and oil storage tanks and a new car park.

The site would accommodate 30 office staff and 20 operations staff.

Established in 1932 by Ralph Robinson, the grandfather of current chairman, Howard Illingworth, the company originally began collecting milk from farmers and supplying coal to local people.

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Harrogate hospital gets £14 million to reduce carbon footprint by 25 per cent

The government has awarded Harrogate District Hospital £14m to reduce its carbon footprint by 25 per cent.

The funding will be used for a series of initiatives: perhaps the most noticeable to visitors will be the installation of solar panels on the roof to provide more green energy.

An air source heat pump, which extracts heat from the air which can then be used to provide heating and hot water across the site, reducing the consumption of natural gas, will be bought.

Some of the site’s long-standing maintenance issues will also be fixed, including repairing and replacing flat roofs that leak and old windows.

It is hoped the measures will reduce the carbon footprint of the hospital site by 1,100 tonnes per year.

The works will be carried out by the hospital’s estates and facilities subsidiary company, Harrogate Integrated Facilities in partnership with Imtech and its specialist energy performance business, Breathe.

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Harrogate and District NHS Trust said in a statement today the funding would also benefit the local economy because local businesses will be involved.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy awarded the grant from its public sector decarbonisation scheme. Public sector organisations submit bids to the scheme.

Jonathan Coulter, chief executive of Harrogate Integrated Facilities, said the grant was “brilliant news for us, everyone who works here and patients who access services here”. He added:

“We have a firm ambition to reduce the carbon footprint of Harrogate District Hospital by as much as possible, and as quickly as possible.”

The hospital already has a 25-year carbon reduction project with the Carbon Energy Fund and Imtech, which it says delivers energy savings of around £680,000 each year.

Gary Parke, managing director of Breathe, said:

“The new energy saving installations will enhance and accelerate the savings our team has delivered over the last few years.

“As well as ensuring further cost and carbon reduction benefits for the trust and a better environment for staff, patients and visitors to the hospital.”

Harrogate people switch energy suppliers more frequently than anywhere else

Harrogate people are more likely to switch energy providers than anywhere else in England.

Comparison website Uswitch based the finding on analysis of how often residents changed their gas or electric supplier over the past 20 years.

Harrogate topped the table with 196 switches per 1,000 people, whereas London was bottom with only 116 per 1,000.

London is believed to be last because more people rent than own their own property and are therefore less inclined to switch.

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Will Owen, energy expert at Uswitch.com, said:

“Northerners are showing southerners how it’s done when it comes to switching, with Harrogate residents switching at twice the rate of those in central London.

“Yorkshire residents are earning their reputation for being frugal, with five locations in the top ten being from God’s Own Country.”

Leeds was fourth, with 182 people switching per 1,000.

According to government energy regulator Ofgem, households can save on average £300 a year by switching energy providers.