A father-of-four from the Rhondda is saving up to £50 a month on his energy bills after installing solar panels on his house, thanks to the Nest home energy scheme.
Christian Badham from Ton Pentre looked to find ways of making his home more energy efficient and cheaper to run, whether that was choosing the right time to turn the dishwasher or washing machine on, or powering electric heaters using smart plugs, he’s always sought the best energy saving ideas.
After moving into a three-bedroomed home in Ton Pentre last year he wanted to take steps to improve its efficiency and reduce his energy bills.
The father-of-four started investigating options and came across Nest, a Welsh Government-funded scheme which can offer certain households a package of free home efficiency improvements. Three weeks later, the house had eight solar panels fitted and the family is now reaping the benefits.
Christian commented: “Like many families, we didn’t have the savings to invest in the installation of solar panels, but wanted to make our home more energy efficient, especially with energy prices increasing. However, with the Nest scheme we have been able to access funding to support energy efficiency changes to our home.
“I couldn’t believe how easy the whole process was. The installation process wasn’t at all disruptive and didn’t present any drastic changes to our home.
“The panels have the capability of powering 35 kWh of energy per day. But because of them, we only use 4 kWh per day during the summer. Since having the panels installed, I’ve noticed our energy bills have gone down by around £50 per month. It’s made a huge difference!”
The Welsh Government invested £26.9m from 2022-23 in the Nest scheme, providing energy saving advice to 21,000 households. It’s home energy improvement package provided support to more than 4,000 eligible households, saving people like Christian, on average £422 on energy bills per year.
The Welsh Government has committed to improving energy efficiency of homes across Wales through schemes like Nest and the Optimised Retrofit programmethrough registered social landlords.
Julie James, Minister for Climate Change said:
“Using energy more efficiently in our homes is a great way to reduce our impact on climate change by lowering carbon emissions.
It’s wonderful to see people like Christian proactively accessing the funds available to make important changes to their homes, while also enjoying the cost-saving benefits.”
Ross Kirwan, Head of Nest, said:
“The Warm Homes Nest scheme has supported tens of thousands of homes across Wales with energy efficiency improvements. These measures help to keep homes warm, reduce energy bills and improve health and wellbeing.
“We are committed to offering free, impartial advice to all households in Wales, regardless of circumstance. We’re committed to empowering our customers with tailored support and advice, helping them to make the right choices when it comes to saving money and energy in the home.”
For more information visit climateaction.gov.wales
