CLLR KATIE REVILLE, of Boringdon Park, Woodlands, Ivybridge, writes:

The recent announcements of rising fuel bills has once again opened the floodgates to people wanting to blame such increases on subsidies for renewable energy but this is far from the truth.

The cost of energy generated from fossil fuels can only increase as they become scarcer and harder to extract and let's not forget that these companies are in the business of making money for their shareholders, to the tune of billions of pounds.

So-called 'green levies' are actually responsible for about £112 of the average £1267 family dual fuel bill and, of this, only £37 is down to renewable energy subsidies, less than three per cent; £47 goes towards energy-saving measures that reduce bills for those in fuel poverty and the rest is towards introducing smart meters, discounts for pensioners and emissions trading schemes.

Fossil fuels on the other hand are costing us dearly. Between 2004 and 2010 dual fuel bills rose by £455, of which £382 was due to soaring gas prices.

Surely people can see that there is only one way that these prices are heading and new nuclear power is unlikely to bring energy costs down.

The annual Government grant to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority is £2.3bn. Divide that by 26.3 million households in the UK and you find the average cost per household of dealing with nuclear waste is £87 per year – but this is rarely mentioned in the general media.

Unfortunately rising energy costs are something we all have to get used to. The best thing many of us can do is to try to use energy as efficiently as possible and to ensure we are with the cheapest supplier for our needs.

Generating our own energy, as communities and individuals, from renewable energy will also make us less susceptible to volatile global energy markets and so help to keep our energy costs down. Renewable energy is one of the ways to reduce fuel poverty rather than a culprit for creating it.

Unfortunately our 'greenest Government ever' hasn't quite grasped this yet.