Housing developers Tilia Homes and Hopkins Homes, both owned by Terra Firma, have joined Octopus Energy’s ‘Zero Bills’ proposition.
‘Zero Bills’ is a smart tariff that allows customers to move into homes that are kitted out with green technology, namely roof-mounted solar panels, air-source heat pumps and a home battery, which guarantee no energy bills.
The three- and four-bedroom houses available at Tilia Homes’ Landimore Park development in Northampton and Hopkins Homes’ Church View in Bramford, Suffolk, are installed with all the aforementioned technologies.
‘Zero Bills’ is made possible through Octopus’ technology platform, Kraken, which connects to the clean energy devices installed in the home and optimises their energy usage.
The most recent Watt A Save report from the Home Builders Federation (HBF) found that buyers of newly built properties will save an average of £2,200 in energy bills per property each year compared to some older properties on the open market.
Octopus Energy has now accredited close to 1,000 homes across the UK through contracts with developers and housing providers, and the company plans to deliver 50,000 ‘Zero Bills’ homes globally by 2025.
Michael Cottrell, ‘Zero Bills’ director at Octopus Energy, said: “As the energy grid evolves, so does our ability to revolutionise homeownership. With our ‘Zero Bills’ smart proposition, Tilia Homes and Hopkins Homes homeowners can enjoy not only energy bill-free homes but also a genuine shift towards sustainable living.”
Simon Gabbitas, group ESG director for Tilia Homes and Hopkins Homes, added: “As the cost-of-living crisis continues to bite, we are delighted to join forces with Octopus Energy to offer drastically reduced home running costs for our customers.
“Not only will this partnership deliver cost certainty to homeowners in a volatile energy market, but we believe it will also help to positively impact how people live sustainably in their homes across the UK.”
Small-scale for the large-scale
These additions follow Octopus Energy’s partnering with housebuilder The Hill Group in December 2023 to develop 89 homes as part of the ‘Zero Bills’ scheme for a minimum of five years in Essex.
According to Octopus, the batteries installed will either be 9.5kWh or 13.5kWh batteries, depending on the size of the home. The number of solar panels will also vary (between 18 and 24) in accordance with the property’s size.
Built at Hollymead Square in Newport, Essex, the properties will include two to five-bedroom houses and two-bedroom bungalows, with residents guaranteed to pay no energy bills for a minimum of five years.
Of the 89 houses, 64 will be sold to the open market, with 25 set aside for affordable rent and shared ownership by the social housing provider Clarion House Group.
Alongside Octopus Energy, the UK has launched schemes on both a national and local level to help incentivise the adoption of low-carbon, small-scale technologies with reduced energy bills.
A key example of this is the £75 million funding package from the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF), which has been allocated to offer free energy efficiency upgrades that could save households up to £400 a year.
The funding will be available to 42 councils and housing estates across England to install energy efficiency measures – including heat pumps, insulation and double glazing – in social homes.
Moreover, in February 2024, Exeter City Council confirmed that 700 council homes in the region have been retrofitted with low-carbon technologies.
The retrofits form part of Exeter City Council’s energy-efficiency retrofit programme, which secured £4.1 million in funding, including through a central government funding package.
The council expects more than 200 additional properties will benefit in the upcoming year as its retrofit programme continues to aid council housing.
