The multi-millionaire boss of an vitality firm that sparked fury after recommending that households save on their heating payments this winter by ‘cuddling’ their cats or ‘doing a couple of star jumps’ owns a lavish £3.2million weekend house that prices a whopping £850-per-month to energy.
Stephen Fitzpatrick, founder and head of Ovo Vitality, Britain’s third-biggest vitality provider, enjoys the sprawling, five-bedroom property within the coronary heart of the picturesque Cotswolds, near Cirencester, which he bought in 2019.
The beautiful weekend house is about in 12 acres of pristine countryside and in addition has a swimming pool, 4 loos and stylish eating room with beautiful views, giving Mr Fitzpatrick and his household enough area to comply with his firm’s controversial recommendation on the way to keep heat which was slammed as ‘insensitive’ given Britain’s rising vitality prices.
Ovo Vitality boss Stephen Fitzpatrick owns this sprawling, five-bedroom house within the Cotswolds that has its personal swimming pool and is now value within the area of £3.2million
Mr Fitzpatrick, 44, spends most of his time in London, spends weekends within the Cotswolds. He purchased the property in a personal sale for £2.85million in 2019, land information present
The beautiful weekend house is about in 12 acres of pristine countryside and in addition has a swimming pool, 4 loos and stylish eating room with beautiful views
Mr Fitzgerald’s agency Ovo Vitality sparked outrage by sending some clients an e mail which included a weblog advising hard-up clients of useful tricks to maintain heat through the gas disaster
An e mail despatched to Ovo Vitality’s clients on Monday recommended that they might ‘get transferring’ by doing ‘star jumps, cleansing the home or ‘difficult the children to a hula-hoop contest’.
Different strategies included having a ‘cuddle along with your pets and family members to assist keep cosy’, consuming ‘hearty bowls of porridge’, sticking to ‘non-alcoholic drinks’ and consuming ginger — however not chilli, ‘because it makes you sweat’.
Mr Fitzpatrick, who’s value an estimated £675million, is often seen by locals and staff on his property through the weekends.
His property supervisor informed MailOnline: ‘He is at work, it is extremely unlikely he can be right here immediately. It is his weekend house and even then, he is not right here each weekend.’
Mr Fitzpatrick based Ovo Vitality in 2009
The previous rectory is reached down 1 / 4 of a mile driveway of Cotswold stone chippings and the imposing black entrance door is flanked by two six-foot bay bushes. A big khaki tepee full with a built-in log burner stands within the entrance backyard alongside an costly kids’s trampoline.
The beautiful Victorian property which stands in lush countryside is the most costly within the space and was described as a really perfect household house when it was final available on the market.
Mr Fitzpatrick has three kids together with his spouse Sophie.
His property supervisor added: ‘I discover out when he is approaching the day – he is very busy both in London or Bristol.’
MPs slammed his firm’s recommendation as ‘insulting’ and ‘offensive’ as Britons face a crushing cost-of-living disaster with one Authorities determine describing the suggestion to eat porridge and minimize out alcohol as ‘like some Dickensian nightmare’.
The e-mail was despatched to clients of SSE Vitality Companies, which was purchased by Ovo in 2020.
However in contrast to a lot of his clients, self-made multi-millionaire Mr Fitzpatrick is unlikely to face any issues assembly the vitality payments for his weekend retreat.
Based on vitality web site U Change, which supplies estimates for family vitality prices, he might at the moment pay a minimal of £853 monthly for gasoline and electrical energy.
The beautiful Victorian property which stands in lush countryside is the most costly within the space and was described as a really perfect household house when it was final available on the market
Based on vitality web site U Change, which supplies estimates for family vitality prices, Mr Fitzpatrick might at the moment pay a minimal of £853 monthly for gasoline and electrical energy
That is based mostly on U Change’s ‘Dream Home Calculator’ which takes under consideration the age of a property, its sq. metre measurement and which luxurious options it might include, akin to: an Aga; boiling water faucet; electrical automotive charger; giant wine fridge and swimming pool. Many of those are normal in prime finish properties.
However the minimal £853 determine doesn’t take into consideration the anticipated April payments rise when Britain’s vitality value cap is adjusted.
It might result in family payments rising by as a lot as 50% which means Mr Fitzpatrick might find yourself paying a whopping £1,279 monthly for his gasoline and electrical energy, if no more.
Mr Fitzpatrick based Ovo Vitality in 2009 and led its development to develop into the most important impartial vitality supplier within the UK, with round 5 million clients.
He co-founded the corporate with Sophie utilizing £350,000 they raised by promoting their first house. They’ve recognized one another because the age of 16 and with their kids, take pleasure in an elaborate lifetime of plush nation residing and unique international holidays.
After establishing Ovo, Mr Fitzpatrick, who was born in Northern Eire, turned often called the ‘Robin Hood’ of the vitality sector for taking over the large six established vitality firms, who he accused of having fun with a monopoly and never offering sufficient decisions for patrons.
The son of a Belfast grocer he studied at Edinburgh College after which began a profitable property newspaper earlier than changing into a Metropolis dealer, which he stop in his mid 30s to arrange on his personal with OVO.
Ovo Vitality despatched an e mail to clients on Monday itemizing ten ‘easy and value efficient methods to maintain heat this winter’. They included consuming ‘hearty bowls of porridge’, sticking to ‘non-alcoholic drinks’ and consuming ginger — however not chilli, ‘because it makes you sweat’
In 2014, Mr Fitzpatrick controversially made headlines after it was revealed that he had taken £2million out of OVO, when it was struggling to interrupt even, to purchase a household house in Gloucestershire.
A eager Method One fan, in 2015 he invested £30million of his personal cash into the Marussia F1 workforce after it went into administration.
Following the e-mail, Ovo mentioned: ‘We perceive how troublesome the state of affairs can be for a lot of of our clients this 12 months. We’re working exhausting to seek out significant options as we method this vitality disaster, and we recognise that the content material of this weblog was poorly judged and unhelpful. We’re embarrassed and sincerely apologise.’