More power to eco couple

More people than ever are trying to put a little back, by recycling tins and papers or using a compost bin for garden waste.

Helen and Don Recchia are going much further. They are striving to create an eco-friendly holiday site powered by solar panels and wind turbines in the North Yorkshire countryside.

The business case for their enterprise is strong. Many tourists now are looking for ways to minimise the impact on the environment they have come to visit.

And the case for more green developments is stronger still. Earlier this month, the Government published its energy White Paper. It contained dire warnings about the impact on earth if global warming continues unchecked.

To combat the threat, ministers are proposing to significantly increase Britain's use of renewable power sources, such as the wind and the sun. That chimes exactly with the Recchias' vision, and with the wind power development planned for near Harrogate.

It is ironic, therefore, that the Recchia family's dream of living in an energy-efficient paradise is being hindered by an electricity company.

But npower keeps sending the couple massively-inflated bills. This is the second story we have carried in a week about an outrageous payment demand by npower.

Now the story has been highlighted by the Evening Press, the company will hopefully get its act together and sort out the problem.

But wrong bills will remain a massive problem. Consumer group Energy-watch receives 3,000 complaints about accounts and billing by power companies every month. And these are the obvious mistakes. How often are householders being charged £20 or £30 over the odds, blunders that no one spots?

The deregulation of the sector has led to lower bills. Unhappily, standards of service have also dropped. We used to trust our suppliers to get their sums right. Until firms like npower improve their systems, we would advise everyone to scrutinise their bills very carefully.

Updated: 10:31 Thursday, March 06, 2003