The UK’s largest ‘Zero Bills’ development in Thornwood, Epping, has been developed by a partnership of Octopus Energy and housebuilder GS8. The development, including 35 homes available at affordable rents, is to be launched in April.
Octopus and GS8 have collaborated to develop the site with an innovative microgrid design. A microgrid is a small-scale electrical system that generates and distributes electricity to a local area. It stores excess energy in a centralised battery which then allows solar power to be shared efficiently between properties.
The site will be developed in line with ‘Planet Positive’ guidelines, following zero waste principles and storing more carbon in homes than is needed to build and maintain them. The houses are fully powered by green tech – solar panels, heat pumps and batteries – resulting in zero energy bills. Electric vehicle charging is not included within the allowance and will be billed separately. The rest of the home’s energy usage remains free.
The plans include several new public spaces with a nature reserve.
2030 target
Octopus Energy aims to complete 100,000 ‘Zero Bills’ homes by 2030 and, in addition to the UK, has already rolled out the initiative in Germany and New Zealand.
The company believes clean energy solutions must come from sun and wind. Deploying green tech like solar panels, batteries and heat pumps allows for abundant free energy and the discontinuation of fossil fuels. Octopus says that customers will move into homes with guaranteed zero energy bills for five to ten years.
Nigel Banks, Zero Bills Director at Octopus, says: “Zero Bills is not just about eliminating energy bills – it’s about creating a sustainable future … and a new standard for affordable, eco-friendly living.” Josh Gordon, Co-Founder of GS8, explains that they use a ground-breaking regenerative housing approach.
Octopus has already ‘accredited’ well over 1,000 Zero Bills homes. Accredited homes include affordable and private rented, as well as private and shared ownership.
On average, Zero Bills properties are valued higher and sell more quickly than bill-paying homes.
Other sites
This follows the completion of another development in Essex: Hope Green in Stanford-le-Hope. All homes are zero carbon, meaning they generate enough electricity to cut their yearly carbon emissions to zero for all the energy used for heating, lighting, fans and pumps. They are not guaranteed to have zero bills but utilise insulation, air source heat pumps, solar panels and other energy-efficient features to hugely reduce energy costs.
In Colchester, the well-established Cannock Mill Cohousing Project uses a Passivhaus design to reduce energy needs. The houses incorporate triple glazing, very thick insulation and a mechanical ventilation system which recovers high levels of heat, all leading to very low energy bills. The flats have air source heat pumps and photovoltaic cells.
The ideal hits reality
The Labour government hopes to create a ‘future homes standard’, requiring new homes to be built with equipment such as heat pumps and solar panels. There has been opposition from some developers who believe that ‘green home’ requirements incur extra costs for them. However – unsurprisingly – it is far cheaper to install energy-efficient features at the time of building rather than retrofitting later.
Not everyone will be able to buy or afford one of these new green homes, but they will become increasingly common. And a time will come when people are not surprised by free energy, but expect it.
For now, most of us are left with the option of improving the insulation and energy generation on our existing homes. The government’s Green Deal aims to encourage homeowners to consider their options:
- The Energy Saving Trust has advice on home energy-saving;
- A government website can help you decide on the right energy efficiency measures for your home;
- You may be eligible for government support for insulation;
- There are also government grants available for some to install heat pumps and solar panels.
