As winter arrives, stories of fuel poverty once more hit the headlines highlighting the plight of pensioners, low-income households and those on state benefits who struggle to heat their homes. But there is one surprising demographic usually excluded from this coverage; country house and stately home owners.
72% of country house owners spend more than 10% of their income on heating their home, according to new research by Prysm Media Group. This startling finding shows that nearly three-quarters of Britain’s country house owners are living in fuel poverty in 2014.
These remarkable properties have usually been inherited by the present generation of owners who struggle to finance the upkeep of these historically important buildings. Their plight is even more marked in an age of austerity, following the global economic downturn. Faced with the increasing expense of maintenance and the rising cost of fuel, 67% of country house owners cite upkeep of their house as their primary financial concern.
Country House Business Innovation is the first national exhibition enabling owners and managers of country houses, stately homes and country estates to identify, research and secure new revenue streams for their properties. The free-to-attend event is packed with ideas, advice, suppliers and resources to transform any country house from a money pit into a gold mine. The schedule of inspirational speakers and leading exhibitors presents a range of solutions from attracting visitors to any home or garden, 'glamping' and event management to renewable energy and extreme sports. Led by pioneers, successful entrepreneurs and the organisations that shape the rural business landscape, the diverse seminar schedule offers visitors the ability to secure the financial future of any country house.
Alongside ideas to diversify to help create revenue to heat the home are innovative solutions to significantly lower costs for heating a large property.
Peter Randall, founder of Ecovision, a major renewable energy company based in Highgrove Estate, will explain how a modern heat pump system can revolutionise country house heating, while one of the UK’s leading experts on energy management, Matt Fulford, will give a practical seminar on combating the challenges of rising energy costs.
