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THE EDENSTONE GROUP PARTNERS WITH OCTOPUS ENERGY FOR ‘ ZERO BILLS ’ HOMES
The Edenstone Group has partnered with the UK ’ s largest electricity supplier , Octopus Energy , to deliver homes that will enable people to live energy-bill free for at least five years , guaranteed , as part of its drive to deliver sustainable solutions for modern living .
The initial agreement covers 12 homes across three locations , with potential further roll out across future developments .
‘ Zero Bills ’ is a world-first smart tariff that allows customers to move into homes that are fully kitted out with green technology and with no energy bills , guaranteed . It ’ s made possible thanks to a combination of clean energy devices – including solar , heat pumps , and home batteries – which Octopus manages via its Kraken technology platform to deliver a zero bill .
To help showcase the technology involved , a demonstration home has been created at St Mary ’ s Garden Village in Ross-on-Wye .
Edenstone Group chief executive Martin Taylor said : “ We ’ re committed to raising sustainability standards by embracing the challenge of constructing net-zero homes .
“ Our partnership with Octopus Energy – the first , we hope , of many – allows us to provide homes with an extraordinary proposition : at least five years of zero bills , guaranteed . We believe it ’ ll be a game changer for our customers and will redefine the way homes are designed , built , and experienced , setting a new benchmark for energy-efficient living .
“ Our Ross-on-Wye ‘ Zero Bills ’ home showcases the tangible steps we ’ re taking towards achieving a net-zero energy future .”
The demonstration home was sold soon after its release onto the market .
A further seven ‘ Zero Bills ’ homes will feature at Edenstone ’ s forthcoming Eden ’ s Green development in Bleadon , North Somerset , with four more affordable homes for tenants being built for United Welsh Housing in Cardiff as part of the company ’ s ambitions to bring zero net energy to all its developments by 2025 and tackle the housing shortage .
Michael Cottrell , Zero Bills director at Octopus Energy , said : “ We ’ re delighted to be partnering with Edenstone to set the new standard for UK homeownership . With ‘ Zero Bills ’, buyers of these properties can enjoy not only energy bill free homes , but a genuine shift towards greener living . And with Edenstone , we ’ re only just getting started .”
Octopus aims to deliver 50,000 ‘ Zero Bills ’ homes globally by 2025 .
Edenstone has previously built a series of pilot net zero homes across developments in Brockworth , Gloucestershire , and across Wales in Aberthin , Morriston and Newport using various technologies and systems .
The company recently opened a net-zero community hub at St Mary ’ s Garden Village , designed to generate more renewable energy than it consumes , helping to decarbonise the Ross on Wye community .
The new ‘ Zero Bills ’ demonstration home at St Mary ’ s Garden Village is a three-bedroom detached Broughton . It features photovoltaic ( PV ) panels with internal battery storage , air source heat pumps with smart hot water cylinders .
A fair usage allowance is set at double the expected electricity usage , excluding electric vehicle charging which is subject to a separate tariff .
“ Technology has moved on considerably since we built our first zero carbon home . Back then our efforts were focused on the raw generation of energy through roof-mounted photovoltaic ( PV ) solar panels and a home battery system to store the electricity generated , plus an air source heat pump to provide heating and hot water , with little smart technology ,” Martin added .
“ Trialling different approaches , we ’ ve been able to assess the practicalities from a construction perspective and consumer experience . Now we ’ re able to use smart technology to help reduce energy demands . The system learns habits and can provide gains that design alone can ’ t deliver .”
For more information see https :// edenstonehomes . com / st-marysgarden-village or https :// www . bluebellhomes . co . uk / stmarys .
For more information on ‘ Zero Bills ’, please visit : https :// octopus . energy / zero-bills-home .
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