New ecohome does not cost a penny to run: report

An ecohome has been built in Northern Ireland that will not cost its owners anything to run, it has been reported

According to the Belfast Telegraph, the five-bedroom property generates its own electricity through solar panels and an air source pump heats its water.

Stephen McCready, managing director of the property's builder Sky Developments, said that the technology implemented will "provide 130 per cent" of the electricity required for lighting, heating and cooking.

"The largest watt light bulb is 18w and there is a fuel-burning stove. The total emissions for this house are 0.21 tonnes a year," he added.

Such projects could inspire anyone considering a self build project in the UK.

According to the Energy Saving Trust, homeowners in the UK spend a total of £1.9 billion lighting their homes, accounting for up to 15 per cent of electricity bills.

The trust claimed that if every household installed a solitary energy saving light bulb, it would save enough electricity in a year to power Blackpool Illuminations for nearly nine centuries.