A council in Lincolnshire plans to expand its solar panel installation programme to tackle rising energy bills.
North Kesteven District Council has seen the amount of money paid for energy double in recent months.
It said it expected to pay nearly £100,000 this year, up from almost £44,000 three years ago.
In a recent meeting, the local authority unveiled plans to install 230 solar panels – it said these projects “could deliver the largest annual savings”.
The installation of these panels is predicted to cost an estimated £150,000 while resulting in an annual saving of £16,200.
A North Kesteven District Council spokesperson told ELN: “Compared to 2019 figures, when a kwH of electricity was just 13.9p, there is potential for the cost of energy used by the council this year to be twice as expensive.
“All councils will be facing similar challenges, just as everyone in the country is affected by rising energy prices.
“However, we’re taking action to reduce our energy consumption and carbon footprint, including installing more solar panels at our Sleaford offices and getting our heating from a district heating network powered by the Sleaford Renewable Energy Plant.
“North Kesteven District Council always puts public services first and through sound financial management we continue to maintain all our services and mitigate rising costs.”
