I gave up 'traditional' housing and moved into a tiny home... I only spend £150 on bills a YEAR - this is the 'dirty secret of off-grid living'
A divorced bestselling children's author has shared his experience giving up 'traditional' housing to move into a tiny home where bills cost just £150 a year.
James Campbell described the move as 'freeing' but also told of the 'dirty secret of off-grid living' after he made the drastic lifestyle choice three years ago.
It was a choice that came following his decision to go vegan, stop flying, switch to an electric car and start buying everything second-hand.
Tiny homes have floor space of less than 37 square metres (sqm) but even Campbell's humble abode is small by these standards, coming in at just 17.5sqm.
As well as attracting people unable to afford sky-high rents, the houses are increasingly becoming part of something akin to a social movement due to the appeal of their simplicity and minimalism.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Campbell said he made the decision as he had always loved caravan holidays.
His previous existence included living in a five-bedroom house and owning multiple cars, with a hefty carbon footprint.
He said: 'It was very freeing being able to carry what you need. I thought getting rid of 90 per cent of my stuff would be a good thing.'
A divorced bestselling children's author has shared his experience giving up 'traditional' housing to move into a tiny home where bills cost just £150 a year
James Campbell uploaded this cosy-looking picture of the home as he said he had been 'working on the home improvements'
The property cost him £60,000 and is a metal-framed 1.5-storey house containing two loft-style bedrooms, thick external walls clad with attractive larch timber as well as guttering that channels rainwater into a filtered tank.
It also has a gas stove and oven, a fridge, washing machine, shower and a compost toilet, with Campbell using the waste on fruit trees in the garden. Additionally, there are solar panels, an inverter and storage batteries which provide most of the power.
The windows and doors are triple-glazed meaning the home gets an energy performance certificate (EPC) rating of 'A'.
But despite the seemingly glowing picture that is painted, there is one 'dirty secret' the author and comedian admits to.
He said: 'In winter, it's impossible to keep warm using the sun - that's when propane comes out. Gas is the dirty secret of off-grid living.'
As a result, Campbell spends £150 on two tanks of the fuel every year which forms his only home running cost besides maintenance.
He spends one or two weeks a night away from home travelling around the country and speaking in schools and touring his kids' comedy show, taking chargers along to hotels.
Campbell describes the tiny home as the 'right size' for him and his two children – an 18-year old son and a daughter about to turn nine – but admits it 'can be a squeeze'.
One of Campbell's climate change inspired books. He has planted 200 trees and grows fruit and vegetables in his 'food forest' garden
He has planted 200 trees and grows fruit and vegetables in his 'food forest' garden.
Children from the local special needs school even come to use the outdoor space.
But one horrifying ordeal he has told of suggests the experience has not always been sunshine and rainbows.
This was a 'horrific rat incident' which took place after the manufacturers left holes in the bottom of the house.
Campbell was left unable to sleep because of the furry creatures chewing on the electric system with the place even nearly exploding.
The author acknowledges some of the horror stories might put people off.
Despite these concerns there has been a rise of 19,000 households living in temporary mobile structures such as tiny houses in the last decade, according to The Office of National Statistics.
The Tiny Housing Co is one example of a start-up that has tried to cater to this growing market.
Campbell uploaded this photo, captioned: 'The car is full of fruit trees and bushes that we will be planting in two schools in Essex
Co-founder Dane Smith-Burchnell said around two third of the houses built by his firm are on farmland or equestrian sites.
The company caters to the higher end of the market with models ranging from 23 to 37sqm and costing between £50,000 and £90,000. This compares to the average home in England coming in at 94sqm.
Liz Emerson, of the Intergenerational Foundation charity, has suggested she is not convinced of the benefits of tiny homes as it is points to a trend of young people being 'driven to accept less space in a housing crisis'.
She told The Telegraph: 'These developers are maximising profits over the wellbeing of the younger generation who need space to hang something more than one coat.
'Are we all going to move to Japanese pod living while post-war baby boomers had three-bedroom family homes built for them en masse? It’s an inequity being dressed up as a lifestyle choice.'
