Recently in Fuel Category

Precision farming doesn’t come cheap but could improve efficiency, which makes some of the kit eligible for grant funding through the Farming & Forestry Improvement Scheme, points out Mark Wheeler of Brown & Co, Spalding.

This is part of the Rural Development Programme for England and aims to help farming, forestry and horticultural businesses in England use resources more efficiently. It provides grants of between £2,500 and £25,000 to invest in projects and new machinery which enable environmentally friendly growth of the business.

In previous rounds, Brown & Co has successfully gained grant funding for projects including on board and base station GPS technology, claiming 40% of the capital cost. Electrical efficiency devices such as inverters for grain drying fans and rain water harvesting and storage projects are also eligible. Applications for the current round of the scheme must be made by 17 July.

Heating oil customers are urged to secure a better price and more reliable delivery by ordering early. The advice might sound obvious, but suppliers say that far too many customers still leave it until the last minute to order fuel.

Forming or joining a buying group could net an even better deal, according to a group of charities and other organisations led by Action with Communities in Rural England.

The run up to Christmas is among domestic fuel suppliers’ busiest periods and many will remember the supply and price problems caused by last winter’s bad weather when some customers ran out of heating oil.

ACRE, Citizen’s Advice and the Federation of Petroleum Suppliers have produced guidance on forming and running a buying group, explaining how oil is traded, highlighting pitfalls and offering help in assessing the best option for rural communities to benefit from group buying.  

For more information contact Louise Rixham at ACRE, l.rixham@acre.org.uk,
telephone 01285 653477 or go to the ACRE website