A DAD who covered his home in £1 cardboard because it was so cold has claimed that his shed is warmer than his own house.
Nigel Cleall, 52, resorted to the drastic measure after he was stunned to see his monthly energy payments skyrocket for his Martley property, in Worcester.
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Nigel was given an air source heat pump but says the shoddily installed system failed to heat his home properly – leaving him with black mould in his bathroom and son’s bedroom.
Air source pumps are designed to stop running when the house reaches a certain temperature.
But, because insulation was so poor in Nigel’s flat, this wouldn’t happen – which saw his bills rack up exponentially with the system running continuously.
The dad-of-two previously said his flat was so icy, that he would be better off moving into the garden shed with his 13-year-old son.
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Nigel has since had a smart meter fitted and said his energy costs are much more manageable compared to the initial problems.
But the dad-of-two says the recent energy price cap announcement has left him “worried” about his living situation.
Energy regulator Ofgem confirmed the new price cap – which will see millions face a £94 rise in bills – will come into effect on January 1.
The cap will rise from £1,834, the lowest figure since March 2022, to £1,928 a year at a time when many households are under financial pressure.
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Nigel said: “I got a smart meter fitted recently, so that has helped manage the bills a bit better.
“I also got rid of the old air source heat pump that wasn’t heating my house properly and changed them for electric panel heaters, which I bought myself.
“They are all on timers and all the mould caused by the previous heating system has been cleaned away. I only pay around £50 a week for heating now.”
He continued: “I am always worried about my finances, and I always have to work everything out to see if I have enough money at the end of the month.
“I was recently involved in a car accident, thankfully I wasn’t injured, but I have had to rebuild my car myself.
“It’s set me back between £500 and £600. So this month has been difficult.”
Nigel previously said that his house was “consistently losing heat” because of the lack of insulation.
He added that the heating system would come back on again every five or ten mins.
His smart meter recorded it would cost him around £1.92-an-hour to switch the heating on, which made his daily bill around £39 – working out to £1,170 per month.
But after he insulated his house last year, his bills dropped down to around £500 a month.
He has also spent £140 on polystyrene wall tiles which he has placed over the cardboard in his bedroom, living room and hallway.
The money-saving dad has used them to keep his living room toasty, as well as the hallway and bedroom.
And the new insulation tiles he has installed meant that he’s managed to halve that again.
It comes as Martin Lewis’ Money Savings Expert has revealed an £18 supermarket essential that could save you £100s on your energy bill.
Martin’s team shared the useful tip on his MSE guide – and it could reduce your home heat loss by a whopping 75 per cent.
Plus, the money saving whizz shared more helpful advice on how to reduce direct debit energy payments.
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