Barratt Redrow has partnered with British Gas to deliver homes with free energy to a new development in Lincolnshire – the first of a wider partnership roll-out over the coming year.
The trial at the Pastures Place development will see 10 homeowners pay no energy bills on their homes for two years in return for sharing data on the use of their home’s eco technology and their home in use, enabling the partners to understand how consumers adapt to living in a home with renewable energy.
Pastures Place features a variety of three, four and five-bedroom homes priced as well as a selection of Shared Ownership properties, developed by Barratt Redrow’s David Wilson Homes brand.
The homes’ eco technology will be provided by Hive – the UK’s largest eco-tech brand. Hive’s Intelligent Energy Management uses software to control smart devices that are connected to the grid, optimising customers’ air source heat pumps, maximum-fit solar panels and batteries, smart sensors and lights. It can also help to ensure more of a home’s energy needs are met from the energy generated from the home or help to use more energy when the grid is quieter, and can deliver greener and cheaper energy.
Homeowners won’t pay electricity bills for heating, hot water, lighting, cooking and household appliances for two years, saving them around £1,258 per year (£105 per month)for an energy bill in a typical new build house. The deal doesn’t include electric car charging and also carries a fair usage agreement of 5,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) in total over the year.
If the trial is successful, it could mark the start of a wider roll-out at a time when energy bills are on average higher than they have historically been.
The data from the trial homes will also be analysed by scientists at the University of Salford. For the past two years, Redrow and the University of Salford have been researching technologies in its net zero carbon concept house built within the Energy House 2.0 climate chamber.
By monitoring the homes for two years, the partners will also be able to share the data with leading surveyors and mortgage lenders to help them understand the impact on valuation and the link to green mortgages that better reflect the higher disposable income that homeowners might have from living in a more energy-efficient home.
Oliver Novakovic, head of technical & innovation at Barratt Redrow, said: “The partnership will see Barratt Redrow and British Gas test a template for delivering low to no bill homes at scale. The trial of free energy bill homes at Corby Glen is an important step forward from the concept homes that we have built at the University of Salford to delivering the learnings into customers’ homes. We are designing and delivering innovative, energy-efficient, low-carbon homes that enable customers to live comfortably with advanced fabric and heating technology, so that they can gain the benefits of both lower bills.”
Hamish Phillips, net zero business development director at Centrica, which owns British Gas and Hive, added: “British Gas is proud to bring its trusted expertise into the homes of the future using Hive’s innovative technology. We understand the meaningful difference that smart home solutions can make, not only helping customers save money, but also supporting their ambitions to live more sustainably. Our partnership with Barratt Redrow is a strong example of how the right eco-tech empowers people to take control of their energy use and get even more from their homes.”
