One in five Winchester homes off the gas grid (From Hampshire Chronicle)

One in five Winchester homes off the gas grid

4:30pm Monday 14th November 2011 in North Winchester By Warwick Payne

Winchester has been named amongst the bottom 10 districts in England for mains gas connection.

One out of every five homes across the district is not connected to the national network, research has shown.

It has been revealed in a new map produced by the Oil Fired Technical Association (OFTEC).

Derby and York had the largest proportion of homes off the gas grid, with 51 and 50 per cent respectively.

Salisbury was fifth with 30 per cent, with Winchester taking the final spot in the top-10 with 20 per cent.

Most of the properties in the Winchester district that are off the grid are remote households or those in small villages.

OFTEC is now calling for Government help to promote cleaner versions of oil-based energy to such properties.

It includes a ‘bioliquid’ blend of fuel that reduces carbon emissions by almost one third, the group said.

OFTEC director general Jeremy Hawksley said: “I think the majority of us believe that most homes are connected to the gas grid, but as the hotspot map shows, there are a huge number of households for whom that simply isn’t the case.

“Some of the areas identified may not be new, but it’s the sheer numbers of households that don’t have access which can be a surprise.”