CANTON, N.Y. -- Researchers at SUNY Canton are working on turning North Country grasses into a fuel people can use to heat their homes without emptying their wallets.

"I've been approached by a lot of people in the past year and a half, more recently with the price of home fuel oil going up, how they're going to heat their homes and this will actually save the homeowners some money," said Michael Newtown, Director of Alternative and Renewable Resources at SUNY Canton.

Newtown estimates the process will save homeowners about 30 to 40 percent on home heating oil and the grass will be grown on vacant farmland, which gives farmers a chance to make money.

"They got their taxes to pay on those properties and they might as well use it in the most beneficial way possible," Newtown said.

Students have played a major role in the research and say it's a great opportunity to be part of the process.

"Having been the first to try some of this stuff, I'm probably going to know a little more about it than other people, so it's kind of a competitive advantage for me as a student," said Ethan McCrey, a student at SUNY Canton.

The process is still in the research phases, but Newtown is optimistic about what it can do for the North Country.

"The convenience is probably the biggest reason to have it. I mean, we're going to provide a source of heat that didn't have to travel very far to get here and it's local to us and it cuts down on any demand on foreign supply of oil," Newtown said.

Researchers say the project is also environmentally-friendly because grass is a renewable resource.

SUNY Canton is working with the Cornell Cooperative Extension on the project. The research is funded by a grant from the New York State Research and Development Authority.