Another Green Disaster: Eco Homes That Double Energy Bills
They were described as the ‘homes of the future’, with an eco-friendly design that would keep bills low. The 45 super-insulated houses, built with £5.6million of public money, were even held up as a ‘model’ of environmentally-friendly construction. But 18 months after the social housing complex in Bradford was completed, residents have complained of bills that are double what is normal and faulty equipment that was supposed to save them money.
Resident Danny Hall, 27, a redundant sales adviser, his wife Jacqueline, 28, and their three children have had problems ‘from day one’.
‘We weren’t really told what expected bills would be but with solar panels, heat exhaust and all this fancy stuff you would expect it to be considerably lower than what we used to pay.’
Instead the family received a £1,600 bill after six months.
Energy bills were almost double what they paid at their previous home, he said.
When the family moved in, there was no water in the toilets because the water recycling system had not been activated.
When it was turned on, water ‘poured through the light fittings’.
The homes are equipped with an eco-heat exhaust pump that recycles warm air, solar panels, and rainwater-harvesting systems to cut water bills.
Twelve of the homes, supposedly built to the highest standards for sustainability, are heated by a communal biomass boiler.
Sunny Tanday, 23, a tenant who lives with wife Raquel, 23, and their two young children, said it was proving an expensive disaster.
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