UK households reduce energy bills to 50p a week with addition to home

Julian and Juliette Rayner,, who live in the south west of England, have gushed about a heat pump.

A couple has said living in an energy-efficient zero-carbon home with an air source heat pump has cut energy bills drastically. Julian and Juliette Rayner, who live in the south west of England, have gushed about a heat pump.

The pair told the Guardian newspaper they have extensive solar panels, underfloor heating, an electric vehicle charging point and high levels of insulation too. They pay as little as 50p to £1 a week to power their home, they say.

It comes at a time where the Ofgem energy price rises to £1771 a year - or £35 a week - for many. In winter this rises to £33 a week - or £150 a month - because during the colder months they have to rely on the National Grid. “We’ve lived in much older properties in the past and know how much they cost to heat – and it’s a lot,” says Juliette.

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“In a way, we don’t really think about our heating or energy bills any more, which I suppose is what you want, really,” says Julian, in an interview with Guardian newspaper. He said: “It’s quite a change from a gas boiler. For instance, if you were to switch off the heating completely and it’s cooled right down, it can take longer to warm up than it would have done when we were using gas.

“However, this shouldn’t be seen as a negative. Instead, it means we get a more comfortable, consistent temperature all the time – rather than feeling cold and having to crank the heating up, like we used to when we had a boiler. It’s easier now, because we don’t have to think about times to turn it on and off. It’s just there and does its own thing responsively.”

According to Tim Bannister, Rightmove’s property expert, says searches for terms such as “solar panels” and “heat pumps” on its site have risen dramatically. “They’re not top of buyers’ must-haves just yet, and more work is needed to raise awareness of the benefits, but we expect to see more of a focus on these types of features as the nation moves towards greener homes,” he says.