Ian Willacy lives in Wigton with his wife Angela. With funding from The Cumberland, they installed solar panels on their bungalow as part of adaptions to make their home more sustainable and cut their bills.
Ian told us: “We now have panels on the roof and an inverter in the loft-space which collects all the power we generate and sends it to another piece of equipment located in a cupboard downstairs along with our battery.
“What we generate runs the house. What’s left over we fill our battery with. What’s left after that we feed back to the grid. It was all installed within a day.”
The change has made a huge impact on their bills. “The first year was very surprising. Our electricity bill was £8 a month. Through the summer we were paying £4 some months, and in some months it was £3. Previously we were paying £50 or £60 per month. There was a big saving,” says Ian.
The couple also invested in an electric car which they often charge at home from the power generated from their solar panels. “Am I doing it for the environment or to save money? I look at it for us to be as sustainable as we can be,” says Ian.
We’re pleased to hear that Ian’s home improvements have been kinder on the environment and his monthly energy bills too.
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