A rural property consultant has issued a warning to farmers, saying that to protect against higher power costs in 2017 you must act now.

Butler Sherborn is predicting significant change in the British energy market in 2017, and is warning farmers to get prepared.

With costs reaching over £1,000/MWh in November, market volatility is nothing new to those in the agriculture, but with Brexit looming British farmers need to concentrate on improving efficiency.

Despite a drop in government subsidies, generating renewable energy is still considered to be economically worthwhile, and could lead to big savings in 2017.

Richard Palmer, head of energy and estate business management, said: "Farmers will add most value to their businesses by focussing not just on how much energy is used, but also when and where it comes from.

"The constraints of the UK energy system mean the Government is encouraging customers to think differently, leading to the introduction of a Capacity Market Levy and the roll out of smart meters.

"By 2020, every home in Britain will have a smart meter, but some farmers will have to upgrade to this system by April 2017, depending on the classification of their energy use.

"Three approaches stand out; electrifying heating with heat pumps, replacing methane with green gases such as biomethane from Anaerobic Digestion (AD) plants, and developing heat networks or district heating schemes."

Joanna Ragdale, managing director at the Energy Manager, said: "In the coming year, government levies and taxes, distribution costs, and network charges will make up over 60 per cent of your electricity bill.

"Generating renewable energy on site and using battery storage could be the logical move to avoid thee peak and indirect charges."