Homes with zero energy bills
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A new housing development aims to save residents more than £2,000 in energy costs per year
Spotted: Octopus Energy, the UK’s largest independent energy supplier, and off-site construction specialist ilke Homes, are partnering to build the UK’s first homes with zero energy bills.
The landmark development in Essex will be the UK’s largest zero-carbon housing development. To celebrate the launch of the partnership, two factory-built semi-detached homes powered by free, round-the-clock clean energy are being installed at the site. These are the first of 153 homes in the development, 101 of which will be zero carbon (meaning they will generate their own clean energy).
The houses will be fitted with air source heat pumps, solar panels, and battery storage, which will be used to manage energy consumption and ensure that residents only use as much energy as they need.
“This breakthrough partnership debunks a long-standing myth – that cleaner energy will mean higher bills for consumers,” said Greg Jackson, CEO of Octopus Energy. “Instead, people living in these homes won’t be paying for energy at all. This is yet another demonstration that clean energy is cheap energy, and the best answer to the fossil fuel crisis is accelerating the transition to renewables.”
The ilke Homes pipeline will grow to 3,500 homes as a result of the development. Under its ‘ilke ZERO’ project, the company aims to build 10,000 zero-bills homes by 2030.
Other sustainable construction innovations spotted by Springwise include a startup that converts existing buildings to net zero, a carbon-negative construction company, and a new vaulted floor design that reduces concrete use.