I want solar panels ripped down off my council house… I didn’t want them there in the first place
A MAN is battling to get solar panels ripped down from his council house as they're not even switched on.
Paul Hulme said the eco-friendly frame was installed before he and partner Emma moved into the bungalow – but they never wanted it in the first place.
The 54-year-old said the panels are pointless as they have been turned off since they moved to the property in Meir, Staffordshire, in June last year.
And he insists birds keep getting stuck in the space between the panels and the roof tiles.
Now he is locked in a dispute with the Community Energy Scheme (CES)
over a 25-year contract to shift them sharpish.
Paul said: "We are in the middle of trying to get them removed.
"They are trying to leave them there which I don't want.
"They are switched off and have been since I moved here.
"I’m not happy with them at all. I don’t want the damn things."
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Paul and Emma, who is paralysed from the chest down, relocated to the specially-adapted bungalow after Emma's legs "collapsed underneath her" three years ago.
She was diagnosed with central cord syndrome – an spinal cord injury – and the house suited their needs perfectly.
Paul said: "She had to move out of the previous place because she needed a bungalow.
"I'm on prepayment metres. I fought for this bungalow and it took ages
to get it right.
"I had an email from them saying they are looking at whether to leave
them on and have them switched off or have them taken off completely.
"The birds are getting underneath the panels. I don’t know whether
they are trapped in there or what."
'I DON'T WANT THE DAMN THINGS'
He added: "It’s been horrendous. I’ve felt really bad. There’s been a lot of stress and anxiety. It’s been hard.
"[Emma] was complaining a couple of days before of pain in her shoulders.
"Then she went to the toilet and came back and her legs were just gone and collapsed underneath her."
CES said it will contact Paul to discuss his case.
A spokesperson added: "We welcome transparent dialogue with customers and will always try to resolve any issues as quickly as possible.
"The effect of energy price increases on household budgets has been
highlighted recently and we have worked hard to ensure our solar
energy customers pay only half the price of the recent Ofgem price
cap.
"A real-life example would be the cost of boiling a kettle from the
grid would be six pence and the cost of boiling the same kettle from
solar would be three pence – exactly half."
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