North Kesteven Council: Energy bill soars by over 50% in three years

North Kesteven District Council said soaring energy costs were adding to the "pressures on funding essential services"

Energy bills for one local authority in Lincolnshire have more than doubled since 2019, it has been revealed.

North Kesteven District Council said it expected to pay almost £100,000 this year - up from £44,000 three years ago.

The increase was adding to the "pressures on funding essential services", the authority said.

A planned investment in renewable energy technology would help to mitigate the impact of soaring energy prices, the council added.

As part of that investment, North Kesteven District Council said it wanted to install 230 solar panels at its headquarters in Sleaford at a cost of £150,000.

The investment would cut energy bills by up to a quarter each year and prevent 20 tons of carbon dioxide from being released, it said.

The panels would be installed later this year if planning permission was granted, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

A North Kesteven District Council spokesperson said: "Like households, energy price increases are affecting councils as well."

The authority said installing 230 solar panels on its HQ would help cut energy bills

Annual electricity consumption for the council's offices in 2019 was nearly 330,000 kWh per annum, meaning that at a cost of 13.29p per kWh, the authority's energy bill was £44,000, the spokesperson said.

"The current price of electricity is 28p per kWh, a little more than double. It's predicted that prices will reach 30p per kWh before the end of 2022," they added.

"This would represent an increase of more than 125% for the council and a bill of £99,000."

Council leader Richard Wright urged residents to join the authority in installing solar panels if they were in a position to do so.

He said: "From an environmental perspective - for those who can afford to - it might now be worth considering.

"With prices for solar panels dropping, and electricity from the grid increasing in cost, the scales are tipping more in favour of solar in terms of return on investment."