Housebuilder Northstone has revealed it is constructing the UK’s first Ultrapanel house as part of a set of net zero homes.
The North West developer is Britain’s first to use the precision-engineered, interlocking panels to construct a full home at its Tulach site in Wigan. It’s part of a project to trial new housebuilding methods and gain vital information on the future of operationally net zero homes.
Northstone is aiming to create a design-led, net zero home that’s accessible to more buyers in a bid to help address climate change and slash energy bills for residents.
The Northsone Ultrapanel home will not only be built to be thermally efficient, but also include sustainable systems such as triple glazing, solar PV panels, 6.5kw battery storage, mechanical ventilation and an integrated heat pump cylinder.
Elsewhere, the home will also use heat recovery systems and rainwater harvesting to further boost its sustainability credentials. Currently in construction, it’s due to be finished this summer.
Richard O’Brien, design director at Northstone, said: “The UK is at a critical moment when it comes to homebuilding. Whilst we desperately need to reduce the carbon emissions from the UK’s homes on the journey to net zero, people are also seeing their energy bills rocket. We’re aiming to build a home that is operationally net zero and self-sustaining, reducing energy bills to near zero.”
“Our home in Wigan will look like its energy-efficient neighbours from the outside. But look under the hood and you’ll find really innovative building methods and extensive systems to both generate energy and conserve usage.”
“In the coming years, the pressure for housebuilders to step up and deliver net zero homes is only going to grow. We’re making swift progress to rise to that challenge and, for us, this will be an in-depth learning exercise on which we’ll base our future decisions. We’re proud to be pushing the boundaries and partnering with forward-looking suppliers like Ultrapanel.”
Once complete, the energy performance will be closely monitored, providing essential learnings that will enable both Northstone and the wider industry to make crucial decisions on the rollout of building methods and net zero technologies.
It comes as developers face a looming challenge to reduce carbon emissions from their homes by over 75% as part of the Government’s Future Homes Standards by 2025, which the Northstone Ultrapanel home will far exceed.
Ultrapanel’s patented panel comprises precision, thin-profile panels that cut down construction time, allow more space for insulation whilst maintaining interior floorspace and reduce air leakage for better heat management.
John Hough, managing director at Ultrapanel, said: “Our partnership with Northstone is significant in that they, like us at Ultrapanel, are forward thinking and innovative. Northstone’s desire to create energy-efficient homes with a fabric-first approach aligns well with the Ultrapanel technology.”
“The patented technology in our panels allows them to be used in multiple applications such as roofs, walls and floor structures and can flex to thermal and fire performance levels designed by our clients. The solution supplied at the Wigan site achieves an external envelope u-value of 0.09 W/m²K supplying exceptional thermal performance.”
“Ultrapanel are working on National accreditations for our system and are extremely excited with the direction the current and future partnership with Northstone is going and the evolution of the Ultrapanel HAUS.”
