In Northern Ireland, a four-bedroom house shows what happens when a family runs both its home energy use and its driving on electricity: two major expenses collapse into a single, lower bill.

The owners of Tigh Beag, in the Glens of Antrim, said running the property and their electric vehicle together costs about £44 (approximately $59 USD) per week.

Here's what to know

According to Business Eye, Mid Ulster-based Setanta Construction finished the 2,000-square-foot house in December 2024. It was designed to run without fossil fuels, using efficient construction, renewable electricity, battery storage, and smart controls.

Homeowners Anne-Marie and Eddie McGoldrick had helped build a renewable energy technology company in Northern Ireland before this project. They worked with John Kennedy Architects and Setanta to prioritize lower costs, dependable comfort, and straightforward daily living.

Anne-Marie McGoldrick said, "We wanted a home that was really comfortable and easy to live in and that's exactly what we've ended up with. It just makes everyday life feel comfortable and effortless. And it's reassuring to know when we hear about another tariff hike or diesel price rise, we're much less affected. So much of our energy comes from our own renewable generation and battery storage, which gives us a lot more peace of mind."

Eddie McGoldrick said, "One of the things that really stands out about this project is that we now have one energy bill covering both the home and car. We've essentially brought our household and transport energy needs together into one electricity-based system." He said, "Over the past two years, the combined cost has averaged around £44 per week, with roughly half of that contributing to driving; and that's around 12,000 miles per year."

More background

Eddie McGoldrick said their previous gas-heated home, which used conventional domestic energy, cost about three times as much to run. He also said driving costs in the new setup have dropped by about 60% per mile.

Instead of sending as much solar electricity back to the grid during the day, Tigh Beag uses its 7-kW solar PV and battery storage to save that renewable power for later, when it is most valuable.

For households chasing similar savings, going solar is one of the best ways to cut home energy costs. Readers can use EasyHome's free explorer tool to compare pricing and potential savings from vetted installers in their area.

What's being done?

The home's controls direct available electricity toward the battery and EV charging, while wastewater heat recovery on the showers and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery help squeeze more value from the energy the home uses.

Setanta Construction also viewed Tigh Beag as a landmark project. Mark Gribbin, director of Setanta Construction, said it was the company's first fully electric home, combining advanced smart technologies with a timber-frame build planned from the outset around energy efficiency and the future of how homes generate, store, and use energy.

EasyHome's free explorer tool can be especially useful for homeowners who want to study not just solar panels but backup battery storage like Tigh Beag's 18-kWh system. EasyHome can help readers explore those options, and pairing solar with a battery can maximize savings and keep a home powered by solar when the grid goes down.

For Gribbin, the project also signals a broader shift in home design. "Energy-efficiency was embedded into the project from the outset, with the design and construction focused on creating a high-performing, fully electric home supported by sophisticated smart technology," Gribbin said. "This was an important milestone in our commitment to sustainable construction and a strong indication of what the future of homebuilding could potentially look like; creating homes that are not only highly energy-efficient, but designed from the ground up around the way we will generate, store and use energy in the future."

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