JORVIK Viking Centre has become the latest tourist attraction to link up with Yorkshire energy specialist Orchard as it looks to cut costs without impacting on visitor experience.

With an annual spend of between £80,000 and £90,000 on electricity alone, the York venue’s director of finance, Peter Nicholson, said energy had become one of its biggest overheads and the obvious place to start when making cutbacks.

He said: “We’re a charity and our main objective is to offer people a good value day out and maintain a strong educational focus.

“We’ve just unveiled our £1 million Jorvik 3 project and we’re keen to improve parts of the ride area, but we are operating in an increasingly competitive market and need to keep costs low wherever possible.”

York Archaeological Trust, which owns Jorvik, operates eight sites in York, attracting 400,000 visitors every year to its Viking attraction in the centre of the city.

Mr Nicholson said Orchard carried out a detailed survey of the energy usage at all its sites to demonstrate the most efficient tariffs, contracts and suppliers for the organisation as a whole.

Gareth Henderson, managing director of Orchard Energy, said: “Orchard specialises in dealing with charities and trusts, and we understand the intricate decision-making process involved in these organisations.

“By providing detailed information and market intelligence as clearly and simply as possible the board of trustees can see at once how they can make savings.”

Orchard also manages energy supplies for Harewood, Ripley Castle and Castle Howard.