A 79-year-old pensioner living in Cambridgeshire has not paid a single penny towards his home energy costs for more than a year, thanks to innovative green technology installed in his property.
Stephen Menage moved into his two-bedroom detached house equipped with solar panels and batteries 15 months ago, and has received monthly statements showing zero charges ever since.
The retired resident discovered the Octopus Energy Zero Bills scheme entirely by chance when he and his partner were searching for a smaller property closer to their daughter, who had relocated to the Cambridgeshire area.
Mr Menage had previously spent two decades living in Norfolk before making the move to his new energy-efficient home on a Hill development.
Before relocating, the couple had been paying approximately £130 each month for energy in their previous barn-style property, which featured air source heating but lacked solar panels.
“I found out about Octopus’ zero bills home by pure luck,” Mr Menage told GB News said. “They said we’d have 5 years free bills and we couldn’t believe it. It was a great encouragement so we went ahead.”
The pensioner described receiving his monthly zero-balance statements as a source of immense satisfaction.
Octopus Energy has granted Zero Bills eligibility to more than 5,000 properties
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PA“Now every month I get a bill saying zero and we’re absolutely thrilled and delighted,” he said. “We’re living on our pensions so it’s been a big help to have one less bill to worry about. It’s bonus. A real dream come true.”
The financial relief has proved particularly valuable given recent inflationary pressures on household budgets.
The Zero Bills initiative, which Octopus Energy introduced in 2022, provides homeowners with properties fitted with advanced green technology including heat pumps, batteries and solar panels, guaranteeing no domestic energy costs for between five and ten years.
The energy supplier has now granted Zero Bills eligibility to more than 5,000 properties through collaborations with major housing developers, encompassing affordable rental accommodation, private lettings, and both private and shared ownership homes.
Octopus Energy offers new zero bills tariff guaranteeing ‘no energy bills for 10 years’ | GETTY / PA
The programme has expanded beyond British shores, with France becoming the fourth nation to adopt the Zero Bills model, joining Germany and New Zealand in the international rollout.
Households making the switch from a typical property with an EPC D rating to a Zero Bills home could potentially reduce their annual energy expenditure by over £2,350, according to Rightmove figures.
Octopus Energy has set an ambitious target of delivering 100,000 Zero Bills properties by 2030, with the average participating household currently saving more than £1,800 annually on energy costs.
Zero Bills households will save around £1,800 on energy bills compared with those on a standard variable tariff
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GETTY
Interest in environmentally friendly housing features is growing substantially across the property market.
Rightmove data indicates that references to heat pumps in property listings have risen by 46 per cent year-on-year, whilst mentions of solar panels have increased by 37 per cent.
Research conducted by Octopus Energy revealed that nine out of ten homeowners who have installed heat pumps are pleased with their decision, with 94 per cent reporting their homes feel equally or more comfortable than when using traditional gas boilers.
Greg Jackson, Octopus Energy’s founder and chief executive, said: “Most people now know someone benefitting from a cost slashing electric car, and savvy homeowners are starting to search for houses with solar panels and heat pumps too.”