£32,000 an hour cost of Shropshire energy bills

New figures have suggested the county's energy bills are costing in the region of £280 million each year.

Around £194 million is spent on utility bills in Shropshire, with more than £85 million being spent in Telford & Wrekin.

But nearly 200,000 households across the region could be wasting money because their homes are not energy-efficient.

The figures were revealed by Richard Davies MBE, chief executive of non-profit social enterprise Marches Energy Agency, as he spoke at the Age UK annual conference in Shrewsbury on Thursday.

"Collectively, we are spending £280 million on energy, gas, electricity and oil," he said.

"All of that money disappears from the county. Collectively, we are spending just over £23 million a month."

The estimates were calculated by using Government figures on the amount of energy used in Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin and the average costs of using that energy.

Mr Davies added thousands of homes across the county were not adequately protected against the cold. He said across Telford & Wrekin and Shropshire, there were 196,282 homes that could be made more energy-efficient.

He said that if the county wants to reach Government targets of having all zero carbon homes by 2050, around 5,000 properties per year will need to be retro-fitted.

Such work could cost between £83 million and £113 million per year, but would create thousands of jobs while also helping to cut the county's energy bills by up to £200 million per year.

Mr Davies said he had made a series of energy-efficient improvements to his own property that had slashed his energy bills.

He said that if everyone in the county could take similar steps, the county's collective energy bill could be massively reduced.

"It is not easy and takes dedication, but Shropshire could be one-fifth of a billion pounds better off each year," he said.

Speaking after Thursday's meeting, Mr Davies said some properties may only need small changes, while older properties are likely to require more extensive alterations.

"Almost every home needs some help," he said.

"In recent, more energy-efficient, houses it might be about sorting the appliances out."

For more information about reducing energy bills, call the social enterprise on 0800 1123743.