The zero-bills home: how one family is beating the energy price hikes

<p>The Naylors’ four-bedroom home in Milton Keynes acts like a mini-power station after retrofitting solar panels, a battery and a heat pump</p><p>Clare Naylor paid close attention to how much energy she and her family were using last winter, filling hot-water bottles and bringing out extra blankets to ensure they didn’t go over budget. This year, she won’t have to worry as she is guaranteed not to receive a bill.</p><p>While millions of British households face the highest energy charges in three years from today <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/money/2026/aug/26/energy-price-cap-great-britain-to-rise-from-october">after a 4% rise in the price cap</a>, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/money/2026/sep/30/energy-bills-great-britain-forecast-to-rise-iran-war">and predictions of a 16% increase in January</a>, upgrades to Naylor’s home mean she will not have to pay anything.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/oct/01/the-zero-bills-home-how-one-family-is-beating-the-energy-price-hikes">Continue reading...</a>