A SAVVY dad has slashed his spiralling bills by £500 a month after using an eBay item costing just £1.
Nigel Cleall 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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The dad-of-one said his flat was so icy, he would be better off moving into the garden shed with his son, 13.
He said: “I come home from work and can’t put the heating on. It’s like living in a garage.
“I can’t afford it, I’m a single dad. All I want is a comfy home for me and my son.
“I go to work, and I keep my nose clean and I am not a criminal. I do everything by the book and you just don’t get anywhere, it is just wrong.”
Nigel resorted to insulating his two-bed flat with cardboard and polystyrene after being given an air source heat pump by the government.
The 52-year-old claimed the system was improperly installed and so faulty that black mould started spreading in his son’s bedroom and bathroom.
“If I had the heat air source pump system would have cost me £1,000 a month, that’s why I didn’t have my heating on,” he explained.
“I used an electric heater, which still cost about £500 a month, because while it was quick to heat up, it would just disappear because of the lack of insulation.
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“There was nothing between my flat and the flat above, so it would just leave the flat.”
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.
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.
The fuming single dad explained he has been “fighting” to have the air source pump removed for over a decade.
“[It] is just far too expensive to use, but I have had no luck.
“That kind of heating system is great for some, but it is just not designed for my property.
“I only really use it to heat my water because it is extortionate.”
eBay Hack
But, Nigel has found a DIY solution to his spiralling situation and reduced his monthly bills in half, to £500.
He picked up the cardboard insulation for just a £1 on eBay and then shelled out £140 for polystyrene wall tiles.
The money-saving dad has used them to keep his living room toasty, as well as the hallway and bedroom.
He added: “It’s now that warm in the flat that I noticed condensation on my bedroom window the other day, which only happens when it’s hotter inside than it is outside.
“I’ve been here for about 12 years and never noticed condensation in the bedroom because the heat has never stayed in.”
The proud lorry driver has now given Platform Housing an ultimatum to improve insulation by the end of the year – or he will deny them access to the home.
“They promised they were going to do all the work and gave me a date in April 2022 and then again in March 2023, but they never did,” he claimed.
“I said enough is enough, you’ve got until December 31 to do the work. If not, forget it. Enough is enough.”
Marion Duffy, Platform’s chief operations officer said: “Mr Cleall’s home, along with all the properties in his building, are due for major retrofit energy efficiency works to be carried out, as part of the grant we secured from the government’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund.
“We understand Mr Cleall’s concerns so have arranged to visit him again, to ensure that we can offer him our continued support and explain the benefits of the improvement works, which we anticipate will start in March.”
This comes as many Brits are looking for cheaper alternatives to heat their homes this winter amid rising cost of living.
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.
Martin explained how millions are owed by their suppliers for several reasons.
Another expert revealed four small changes in each room to reduce your bills by £700.
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And, here’s the five star Amazon product people say has stopped them turning on the central heating – and it costs just £26.
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