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Moving into her new eco-friendly home almost four years ago should have been a dream for Mandie Warran-Woodford. Instead, it turned into a nightmare.
The 52-year-old said she is now about £10,000 in debt because what should have been a economical home to manage turned out to be a money-draining experience.
Miss Warran-Woodford was the first person to move into the Hyde Housing Association properties at Medway Gate, Strood, in December 2009.
She was delighted with the house but her happiness turned to despair when she realised the eco-friendly system was costing her about £500 a quarter to run.
She checked with her neighbours, who live in identical properties with similar systems, and found their bills were much lower at about £90 to £100.
Miss Warran-Woodford, who works part-time, then got into debt with her energy provider, British Gas.
As a result, she had to switch to a pre-pay key meter in 2011.
When it was installed, the debt she owed British Gas at the time, £1,900, was put on it. She is still paying this debt off.
She said: “After the key meter was installed I was putting about £70 a week in to keep the electric going.
"I only earned £90 a week and as a result I got into debt with my other utility bills, my council tax and even got into rent arrears.
“They (Hyde Group), took me to court over the rent debt, but the judge saw it for what it was, so nothing happened.”
Miss Warran-Woodford said she sent numerous emails and made many phone calls over the matter.
Eventually, a report was carried out which highlighted the cause of the high bills.
It found the system had been installed incorrectly and could not have been controlled by the householder as the thermostat was set at the wrong level and couldn’t be changed.
After four years, a new system has been put in and now seems to be working correctly.
Miss Warran-Woodford said she has been offered £1,000 compensation and around £700 to cover her debts.
“Frankly, it’s not enough,” she said “I’m in about £10,000 worth of debt because of it all and the money I have had to borrow. It’s been a very traumatic few years.”
“I’m in about £10,000 worth of debt because of it all and the money I have had to borrow. It’s been a very traumatic few years” - Mandie Warran-Woodford
The Hyde Group has now apologise to Miss Warran-Woodford.
Chyrel Brown, the group’s regional director, said: “I fully understand the upset that has been caused and would like to apologise to Miss Warran-Woodford.
“I would like to stress that my colleagues and I take the welfare of our residents very seriously and we are doing all that we can in this complicated situation.
“Since hearing of the problem with the heating bills, Hyde’s specialist advisers have been working with our resident and with the contractors involved to bring this matter to a close as quickly as possible.
“The most important thing is to ensure our resident is getting the level of support and service that she needs, and I will be making sure this happens.”
