A couple have boasted of saving £2,000 a year by living in an off-grid community – but admitted they have to do 600 hours of extra work to stay there.
Helena Tilley and her husband Simon, both 61, live at the Hockerton Housing Project (HHP) – a self-sufficient co-housing site – on the outskirts of Southwell, Nottinghamshire.
They have insisted the UK should build more homes like theirs – hoping their lifestyle can be a ‘source of education and inspiration’ to all.
It comes as their four-bedroom property requires no heating and its 11-acre setting has its own wind turbine, solar power and water system.
Income from surplus renewable energy that they sell back to the grid means the pair’s annual £144 profit leaves them with a household bill of just £288 a month.
Compared to an equivalent UK household, they estimate annual savings of £1,884.
However, the savings come with a catch – as the couple have revealed the hours of work they are required to contribute towards the upkeep of the land and the project’s not-for-profit business.
Their community of 16 grows its own food to reduce its carbon footprint, harvesting 90 per cent of its own fruit and veg during summer, and about 30 per cent in winter.
HHP says its aim is to achieve a plant-based diet – but for now residents still raise a small flock of sheep for meat and enjoy honey from beehives.
The couple admitted to Waitrose trips for personal essentials, including gluten-free products.
Helena Tilley and her husband Simon (pictured), both 61, live at the Hockerton Housing Project (HHP) – a self-sufficient co-housing site
Helena, a paediatrician, said: ‘It’s a low carbon, healthy lifestyle that we’re trying to promote and it’s a very special place’
Their unique four-bedroom home requires no heating and its 11-acre setting has its own wind turbine, solar power and water system
Meanwhile, another HHP family claimed they manage to spend next to nothing at the supermarket in the summer, and as little as £50 on monthly shops during the winter.
Ms Tilley, a paediatrician, added: ‘It’s a low carbon, healthy lifestyle that we’re trying to promote and it’s a very special place.
‘It’s an opportunity to be really close to nature and it has been an absolutely amazing and safe place to bring up children.
‘These houses are wonderfully designed. For us, it ticks all our boxes.’
The couple have lived at HHP since its founding thirty years ago.
Their 33-year-old son, Luke, recently returned to the community to live with his own family in one of the newer, but similarly designed, houses on the land.
The two-bed eco homes at HHP set buyers back £325,000 and the five-beds are on the market for £600,000. Residents have said this is in line with the rest of the area.
The eco-homes are made from materials like concrete blockwork, concrete beams, and clay tiles which help the houses to store and release heat energy over a long period of time.
Energy to heat the houses comes mainly from the sun, body heat, and appliances.
The homes operate with an internal temperature of 18 to 24 degrees all year round.
Most of the community’s energy comes from the on-site turbine, solar or water systems, which Mr Tilley said he helps to maintain.
Ms Tilley is semi-retired but continues to work as a paediatrician and as the lead on climate change for the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.
The couple’s two children who live on the co-housing site – Naomi and Flo – are pictured together with a sheep
Helena spends her spare time growing cabbages and making juice from orchard apples
Simon, who is seen here gardening, said he believes the UK should be building more homes like theirs
She said she is focussed on bringing the study of environment, air pollution, and nutrition into preventative practices in healthcare.
Ms Tilley added: ‘This place is my mental health place. Access to trees and clean air is so important for all of us.
‘Where we live, how we travel, and what we eat is so closely intertwined.’
The devoted environmentalist spends her spare time growing cabbages and making juice from orchard apples. She is also an expert at preserving food for the winter months.
Read More
EXCLUSIVE We hate our neighbour’s house… they’ve painted it a hideous colour – it should not be allowed
Many of the jobs on the HHP rota fit around the working day, such as spending 15 minutes collecting eggs from the chickens.
The larger tasks that require a group effort are usually done on Sundays, but the schedule is flexible.
The married couple said they believe the UK should build more homes like theirs.
Mr Tilley said: ‘It’s a crying shame that the UK has spent decades building very poor quality houses with zero consideration for climate resilience or local community.
‘It’s so frustrating that big building companies are just interested in making money and not building good places to live.’
The couple’s hope is that their lifestyle can be ‘a source of education and inspiration’ to all.
Ms Tilley added: ‘If we create a demand for low energy homes – people saying this is what they want – then maybe the house builders will start to work on that.
‘I couldn’t have asked for a better place to spend the past thirty years.’
