Most tenants rely on gas bottles for their supply

Some residents in Dinorwig near Llanberis at the foot of Snowdon are 1,000ft (300m) above sea level and rely on bottled gas and electric heaters.

Gwynedd council said the drop-in session had been arranged after tenants contacted them about mounting bills.

It comes in the wake of high wholesale energy prices and fears consumers in the UK will be hit in coming months.

One tenant said she thought the council needed to spend money on double glazing instead.

Definitely people are going without heating, especially the elderly Len Jones, Gwynedd councillor

Marian Jones, 70, has lived at Dinorwig for nearly 40 years and relies on a portable gas and electric heaters to keep her home warm.

"I worry about the bills but I do still put the heating on," she said.

Partially-sighted Miss Jones estimates she spends around �1,000 a year on heating.

Marian Jones has lived at the house since 1969

"I went to get a new gas bottle yesterday and it was �16. I paid �14 for a bottle the same size before Christmas," she said.

"An advice session is a good idea, but it can be difficult to tell people how to live because everyone is different.

"I do feel that maybe the council is spending money in the wrong place because only half my windows are double glazed, and I could really do with new windows," she added.

Benefits

Gwynedd Council's housing performance management officer Adrian Roberts said the session would involve various agencies including Citizens Advice, North Wales Energy Saving Trust and Calor Gas.

"We had tenants ringing us saying they could not afford to pay their fuel bills and decided that we needed to do something to help," said Mr Roberts.

"Advice such as not to leave appliances on standby will save money, and council officers will be there to make sure tenants are getting any benefits they are entitled to," he added.

There are 151 council properties in the Deiniolen and Dinorwig area.

Local councillor Len Jones said he had spoken to people who were finding it difficult to afford to heat their houses adequately.

"Definitely people are going without heating, especially the elderly," he said.

Energy Watch - the independant gas and electricty watchdog - has warned of a harsher outlook for consumers and called on energy companies not to "simply load the risk of wholesale prices" on their own customers.

A spokeswoman said: "Up to now only one company has announced a price increase, but it's certain others are bound to follow suit."

The drop in session will be held on Wednesday, 8 January between 1500-1800 GMT at Ty Elidir, Deiniolen.