Gwynedd family told their heating will be looked at...in about 30 years
Darrel Dobson spends more than £200 a month on heating just two rooms of his Cartrefi Cymunedol Gwynedd house
Updated 13:40, 6 MAR 2015
Darrel Dobson with his daughter Leila (Image: Robert Parry Jones)
A family of six who spend more than £200 a month on heating just two rooms of their house have been told it will be looked at...in about 30 years.
The family, from Pencaenewydd near Pwllheli, have had sky-high heating bills since they moved in to the Cartrefi Cymunedol Gwynedd (CCG) property 14 months ago.
Dad Darrel Dobson, 29, has to top up the electricity meter by at least £50 every week, but says that only heats his children's bedrooms and the rest of the house is "frozen".
Darrel says CCG have told him that the heating will be looked at - in 2044.
The three-bedroom house uses electric storage heaters and, in the winter months, the household electricity bill soars.
Darrel, who is currently unemployed, said: "I must have complained about it at least 10 times but they don't want to know.
"For the last 14 months, we have been asking them to change the heating for us and they have refused.
"They have sent an engineer round to make sure it was working and it was. It's just using so much electricity.
"We only heat the two rooms for my kids. The rest of the house is frozen and it still costs so much."
Darrel's sons Dion, seven, Jessie, six, and Theo, four, all share one bedroom, with daughter Leila in another.
He said: "Ever since we moved here the kids have had coughs, colds, chest infections. It's because of the heating.
"CCG did say we could install our own heating system, but that's going to cost £10,000 and we haven't got the money for that.
"We were waiting four years to move into this house and we couldn't turn it down. If you say no, you get a mark on your record.
"But we just can't go on spending this much on electricity. It's getting stupid now.
"They told us that they would look at all the heating of their properties in 2044."
A spokesperson for CCG said: "Since 2012, the property has been fully refurbished with a new kitchen and bathroom fitted, new windows and doors installed, and the loft has been insulated.
"As part of this improvement work, a new, efficient, modern heating system was installed in the property in December 2012 - a month before the tenants moved in.
"The tenants were aware of which heating system was in the house when they accepted the property in 2013.
"We have spoken to the tenant on several occasions and explained that, as the system is new, we unfortunately can't replace it."