An Oban mum is freezing at home – despite paying hundreds of pounds each month to heat her home.
Gillian Munro, a tenant of West Highland Housing Association (WHHA), has said her fuel bill has rocketed, and she has no option but to continue paying.
The mum-of-one is not the only tenant of WHHA to report a problem, yet households are stuck in a community biomass heating scheme managed by Enviro-Energy a company in Nottingham.
Gillian was shocked that after putting in £30 her meter, she was told it would last fewer than three days for her two-bed home.
Oban mum is freezing despite high fuel bills
Gillian’s house is situated in Hyskeir Gardens, Glenshellach, behind the hospital.
Her home is powered by two types of fuel – the first is a regular monthly payment for her electricity bill at £90 for her TV, kettle, cooker, etc.
The other payment is for hot water and the heating system in her house, which is powered by a biomass fuel community heating system.
In one week alone, she put in £80.
She said: “I know of some families who simply can’t afford to put it on or people who pay £15 every day to put on their heating at night.
“We have tried to kick up a stink about it but WHHA are not that interested – nothing changes.
“My husband and daughter are asthmatic, so the house needs to be heated.
“There is no option other than to buy our heating from this company, we can’t go anywhere else.
“I am freezing at home, and there is nothing anyone can do to help.”
Gillian explained that when social housing tenants sign up for a property, they automatically agree to be part of the biomass community heating scheme.
Unlike electricity, where tenants can choose their energy provider, there is no option to opt out of the heating scheme.
Carol Bain, 65, who is also a WHHA tenant said: “I have been in the house for 18 years my bills have gone from £140 to £160 a month to almost paying that for a week.
“It is so expensive that I just can’t afford to have the radiators on in my house. I am still paying £80 a week to heat one room and for hot water.”
On top of the biomass bill, Ms Bain – who is on Universal Credit – pays £10-15 a week for electricity.
“I know people are choosing between food or heating. I am on universal credit and the money you get does not go very far, so it becomes a choice on what to pay,” she explained.
“I would rather sit with a hot water bottle and a blanket and still have something to eat. It has not come to that stage yet, but it is getting there.
“I have been to WHHA to complain and they are just not listening. Over the summer they put up a drone to find out if there was any heat escaping.
“But we didn’t have our heating on in the summer, so it was a wasted effort.”
WHHA insists it tries to provide affordable heating and hot water
WHHA says it has a lower tariff than offered by suppliers in the electric energy market to help provide affordable heating and hot water.
An association spokesperson urged tenants to get in touch with concerns.
He said: “We are happy to investigate any concerns from customers whose homes have been colder than they would have liked due to the recent cold weather.
“Our dedicated advice service is also available to customers experiencing financial difficulties.
“There are also videos and information available on our website offering advice on heating your home.”
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