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NIE throwing switch for pensioner NIE throwing switch for pensioner
(about 5 hours later)
A County Londonderry pensioner who had been given a quote of £67,000 to connect his rural home to the national grid is to get mains electricity. A County Londonderry pensioner, who was quoted £67,000 to connect his home to the national grid, will not now have to pay for the infrastructure.
NIE has agreed to bring the power network to the isolated Seacoast Road where John McCarter, 74, lives. NIE has agreed to bring its network to the isolated Seacoast Road in Downhill where 74-year-old John McCarter lives.
They will charge him a connection fee, but not the cost of bringing the network to his Downhill home. The company will charge him a connection fee, but not the cost of bringing the network to his home.
The Consumer Council said although it would take time to connect his house, Mr McCarter was delighted at the news. The pensioner, who first applied for a mains connection four years ago, said he was "absolutely delighted".
Mr McCarter has lived without electricity at the property for 27 years. Mr McCarter said added that he was now looking forward to getting a central heating system installed and said it would make a "huge change" to his life, especially on cold mornings.
The pensioner has no central heating and uses bottled gas and candles for light. He will now pay a connection fee of between £2,000 and £3,000 instead.
Loretta O'Hara, Head of Consumer Support, said they told Mr McCarter that NIE will invest in the underground cabling needed to bring the current electricity network along the 1.5 miles of the Seacoast Road he lives on. The pensioner has lived without electricity at the property for 27 years and uses bottled gas and candles for light.
"He was over the moon and believes it is an excellent result," she said. The decision means that other residents living along the 1.5 mile stretch of the Seacoast Road will also now benefit from a mains connection.
"The Consumer Council understands that all homes or businesses seeking an electricity supply for the first time will have to pay a connection charge. Mr McCarter's neighbour, Sydney Cooke, said he and his wife were looking forward to having their own home connected and praised the 74-year-old's perseverance.
"However, yesterday's decision means Mr McCarter will only pay the connection charge to bring electricity from the Seacoast Road to his home. "I think he really deserves it. I mean, a man of that age shouldn't have to sit without electricity" he said.
"The Consumer Council would like to acknowledge the hard work undertaken by NIE to work in partnership with our consumer support team on this unique complaint. Loretta O'Hara from the Consumer Council, who became involved in the powerless pensioner's fight, said she understood it would "take some time" to lay the underground cabling needed.
"NIE revisited the Seacoast Road to evaluate the number of homes that would benefit from this investment and they took the decision to allocate funds to provide the infrastructure needed. Ms O'Hara also said that during the case she had been made aware that there are properties in other parts of Northern Ireland which are not connected to the mains.
"We understand that the laying of this underground cabling will take some time but that Mr McCarter and the other residents without electricity along the Seacoast Road will be connected to the supply." "It is difficult to assess just how many people are, in this day and age, living without electricity.
"We want to ensure that people who are without an electricity supply and make an application to NIE will be quoted a fair and reasonable price" she said.