Centrica subsidiary British Gas has partnered with heat pump manufacturer Daikin to pilot integrated low carbon technology in new build homes.
The first trial phase of the initiative will launch at housing developer Strata Home’s ‘Breathe’ development site in Kiveton, Rotherham. Houses will be fitted with a 6kWh-8kWh Daikin air source heat pump, 4kWh solar panels, 5kWh battery storage and a Hive electric vehicle charger and thermostat.
Hive is Centrica’s smart home device that integrates with an app platform that enables customers to manage their energy use in one place. Each home will be fitted with a Hive hub, which connects to the WIFI network and acts as the home’s operating system, integrating all the sustainable technology.
Strata currently builds more than 700 homes a year and will work together with British Gas and Daikin to identify more locations to roll out the offering following the initial launch.
British Gas is also offering homeowners its fixed rate tailored tariff and a British Gas energy manager to help optimise the technology and keep bills as low as possible.
Catherine O’Kelly, managing director at British Gas Energy, said: “We are delighted to have worked with Strata to create a new homes proposition that is not only sustainable, but scalable.
“Our proposition will allow new build development sites to equip their properties with the very best low-carbon technology, meet new legislative requirements and deliver energy-efficient homes that are fit for the future. This is all part of our ambition to energise a greener, fairer future.”
Low carbon homes mean lower energy bills
The move comes ahead of the anticipated Future Homes Standard (FHS), which will mandate that newly built properties in the UK are fitted with heat pumps, or access to a heat network. While some element of solar PV was expected to be a part of the ‘default package’, the technology was not included as a compulsory component.
Lee Wilson, head of product and design at Strata, said the collaboration would “allow us to gather necessary data and learnings, from initial design and installation of product, through to live performance records in occupied homes so we can shape and educate what energy usage, and running costs look like for customers in our future homes”.
Theoretically, this data would show that rooftop solar PV promises significant energy savings for households: according to MCS figures, a “meaningful array” of solar panels could save households an average of £1,342 a year on energy bills.
The low carbon homes initiative from British Gas is reminiscent of Octopus Energy’s ‘Zero Bills Homes’. The ‘Zero Bills’ smart tariff, launched in 2022, means Octopus customers with low carbon devices, optimised by Octopus technologies, do not have to pay for energy.
The houses will be fitted with heat pumps, batteries and solar panels. Through the smart tariff, Octopus does not charge customers for 10 years because the homes generate more energy than they consume.
