COUNCIL houses in villages on the edge of York are to get state-of-the-art new heating systems.

City of York council announced yesterday that 29 council houses in Rufforth, Hessay, Askham Richard and Naburn, are all getting new green technology heating systems, to help tenants save money.

The houses are off the gas grid and rely on oil heating systems. Buying oil in bulk can creating budgeting struggles, and the price can vary across the year going up in the colder making it even harder to keep homes warm.

Council leader David Carr said: "The new heating systems will provide more affordable warmth and help improve energy efficiency.

York Press:

"These innovative approaches are a key part of helping us deliver improvements to our properties, use resources effectively and contribute to reducing the council’s environmental impact."

The new systems are powered by electricity, and work by extracting heat from the outside air in the same way that a fridge extracts heat from its inside.

The technology can get heat from the air even when the temperature is as low as -15° C, and that heat can be used to heat radiators, under floor heating systems, warm air convectors and hot water.

These systems also qualify for the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), a government incentive scheme which was launched in 2013, which means the council is paid a rebate from the RHI on all air source heating systems it installs.

The work is due to start at the end of January and finish by April 2017.