My council house is covered in solar panels – I hate them but was told I HAD to accept it or go back on the waiting list
A SINGLE mum has told of her hatred of the solar panels that cover her home and is demanding the council remove them.
Brittany Haughton, 26, says she was forced to accept the three-bed property after being stuck on the waiting list for two years.
The mum-of-two thinks the renewable energy source is more of an eyesore than effective and has insisted they be removed.
But she is locked into a 25-year long contract with the Community Energy Scheme (CES) and has been told they must stay put.
Brittany explained she has now turned off the solar panels that sit on her roof in protest as she “doesn’t see the point” in them being switched on.
She says she moved in the home in Blurton, Stoke-on-Trent, with her disabled daughter and her other child after being stuck on the council housing waiting list since 2018.
The furious tenant claims she had to accept the home adorned with solar panels in December 2020 or faced a lengthy stretch back on the waiting list.
She said she “couldn’t afford to wait any longer” for a suitable property for her daughter who has special needs.
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But after taking up residence, she has been left livid by being lumbered with the solar panels stuck on the roof of the semi-detached property.
The 26-year-old said it was originally her “ideal house” due to the ample space in the home, but it has turned into a nightmare.
Brittany told Stoke Sentinel: “The panels were not saving me any money. I was still paying through the roof for electricity.
“I don’t see the point of them being on. It has been stressing me out.
“I’m a single mum – it’s just shocking. I am worried in case debt collectors come knocking on my door.”
Brittany claims the issue has exacerbated her anxiety, seeing her plead with the council to get rid of the solar panels.
She continued: “I’ve got autism so I have problems in social situations. I struggle to read body language as well.
“I don’t like going out at all and I don’t like strangers in my home. I don’t need this. My anxiety is through the roof.
I want the solar panels down – I’ve always wanted that. I’m very disappointed.
Brittany Haughton
“I want the solar panels down – I’ve always wanted that. I’m very disappointed.”
However, CES insisted they provided a “sustainable and affordable” energy source, adding that tenants who turn off the solar panels are actually in breach of their contract.
A spokesman said: “Throughout the coronavirus pandemic we were extremely conscious that many people were impacted financially.
“We were therefore very flexible in our approach to customer payments, and set up a bespoke Stoke-based team who recently started conversations with those customers who were not paying their bills to see how we could support them in doing so.
“Options available to customers who engage with our team and provide an accurate meter reading could, for example, include 24-month payment plans or an export to the traditional energy grid for new energy use.
“We’ve worked hard to find a way to get sustainable and affordable energy to those who would otherwise completely miss out.
“We know ours is currently the only way to achieve this – there is no alternative scheme with the same offering – and we are determined to make it as easy and beneficial as possible to our customers.
“We continue to welcome all tenants to get in touch if they have any questions or concerns so that we can take appropriate action to support them.”