Woman's 'energy efficient home' costing up to £20 a day on electricity

A Rathcoole woman says that she is spending up to £20 a day on electricity due to energy efficiency measures in her home.

Alana McClean moved into her new social housing property at Hopefield Avenue in August last year after spending two years on a waiting list. She is a full-time carer for her disabled son and hoped that the property would be a fresh start for them. She was excited when she was told the house was a new energy-efficient Nearly Zero Energy Building.

The Apex Housing social home has been fitted with a number of energy efficiency measures such as solar panels and a heat pump, however the solar panels do not provide enough energy to power the heat pump which is leading her to pay more than £20 a day in electricity.

Read more: NI mum 'amazed' by new eco home after two-year wait

Read more: Boiler expert warns against 'ideal temperature to heat your home to in winter

Speaking to Belfast Live, Alana said that she has had a private company look at the energy problems on her own, and they concluded that her appliance use was normal and should not cost her the amount that she is paying in electricity.

She said: "When I moved into this NZEB house in August I was quite excited at the thought of living somewhere that should save me money on my energy bills, but I have actually found myself paying far more in electricity that I ever have at any previous house.

"I am spending £20 or more every single day in this house and it now appears that the energy saving measures that have been installed are actually what is costing me so much.

"The house does not have any gas or oil heating and has a heat pump instead which is meant to be powered by solar panels. But the solar panels do no produce enough energy to power the heat pump so I am paying hundreds of pounds a month in additional costs.

"I have repeatedly contacted Apex Housing to ask for some help regarding this, but have not had any sort of reply.

"I am a full-time carer who had to leave my job in order to look after my disabled son and I am just not able to afford to live in this house due to the amount of money I am spending everyday on electricity."

A spokesperson for Apex Housing Association commented: “During 2024, the keys to 87 new homes at Hopefield Avenue were handed over to families, with six of the new homes classified as ‘Nearly Zero Energy Buildings’ (NZEB). Developed as a pilot, these NZEB homes feature three slightly different specifications to test the effectiveness of a range of options. All contain increased cavity, floor and wall insulation, triple glazed windows, increased solar photovoltaic (PV) panels and an air source heat pump.

"The energy usage in these homes and associated costs have been monitored and compared to a property with a traditional gas heating system. The testing undertaken to date indicates that between September and December 2024, energy costs for the NZEB homes were lower than that of a home with gas heating.

"Going forward, we hope that the findings of this six-home pilot will help us determine what specification is the most efficient for tenants and use this to inform the design of new Apex homes in the future.

"We understand the worry that can be caused by high energy bills during the winter months and will continue to support tenants to maximise the benefits of their NZEB homes.”

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.