A family has been forced to adopt a strict 'no electricity at home' policy in their home amid the cost of living crisis as they alternatively use head torches to see in the dark and only turn on the heating once a week. Chadvar Todorov, 53, came up with the budget policy in order to save some crucial pennies on their rising household bills which have left thousands of families struggling to make ends meet.
Chadvar says he established the rules and asked his wife Moda, 49, and their children Teo, 14, and Nicole, 20, to follow them too in a bid to cut back on their energy usage after their bill doubled in price to £320 a month. He also introduced the idea of using head torches to avoid turning on the lights at their home as the daylight hours decrease in winter, Coventry Live reports.
The family of four aim to save as much as they can on their electricity costs to reduce their annual bill which currently totals to £3,800. They are also putting restrictions on their heating as they only turn radiators on once a week and spend the rest of the time wrapping up in jackets and blankets to stay warm.
Their head torches which turn on and react to movement, are used in the night time to get around in the dark. Moda, a yoga teacher from Barnet, London, said: “We’re trying to think positive but it’s hard.
“We used to pay £140 a month and in June it shot up to £320. I don’t put the heating on if I’m home alone and just keep my jacket on.
"My husband came up with the funny idea of using head torches. We keep the lights off and use our head torches but it’s scary and I don’t feel as safe.
"There have been a lot of burglaries in our area. We light candles and try and make it romantic.”
Moda who is originally from Bulgaria moved to the UK in 2004 and says that the household's energy bill costs have doubled in price each month. “We don’t know yet what it’s gone up to again but we’re trying to do everything we can to keep it down.
"We wrap up in blankets and coats and only put the heating on about once a week just to get some heat through the house. Our back door isn’t very insulating and you can really feel the cold and wind.”
Chavdar, a banker and decorator who purchased the £8.48 smart headlights to use instead of having their lights on at home, said: "It's like we're back in the 18th century. We don't know what the bill is going to be like at the end of the month so we're doing everything we can.
"I can now wear the headtorch and get around without switching on the lights. We're reducing our TV watching and only having it on sometimes. We can only do everything we can."
