British tech firms Octopus Energy and Ilke Homes have entered into a strategic partnership to roll out the UK’s first homes to guarantee residents zero energy bills.
he two firms are launching the partnership on a site in Essex where Ilke Homes is delivering the UK’s largest zero-carbon housing development.
As part of the launch, initially two factory-built homes are being installed in Stanford-le-Hope, Essex. They will come equipped with an air source heat pump, solar panels and battery storage technology.
The low-carbon technologies will combine to provide free, clean energy round the clock, with Octopus Energy providing a bespoke tariff.
Giles Carter, CEO at Ilke Homes, said: 'Our strategic partnership with Octopus Energy Group is the next milestone on our Ilke Zero journey.
'The premise of this partnership is to both empower consumers, who are faced with one of the worst cost-of-living crises in decades, and demonstrate that net-zero and construction can work hand in hand.
'Thanks to years of intensive research and development, we have successfully created a ready-to-go, highly energy-efficient solution to housing delivery - one which will help investors future-proof investments against government policy, help meet strict ESG criteria, and allow for revenue streams to be accessed as quick as possible due to a significant reduction in construction programmes.'
The homes have been launched as part of Ilke Zero, the UK’s first mainstream zero-carbon housing offering, and comes as Ilke Homes grows its pipeline to 3,500 homes - in a sign that modular housing is quickly becoming a mainstream solution to housing delivery.
The two-bedroom semi-detached family homes - being delivered in partnership with Gresham House and SO Resi - form part of a wider 153-home scheme, branded Hope Green.
101 of these homes will be zero-carbon in operation - the most delivered on a single site in the UK - meaning they will generate their own source of energy, helping to drastically reduce emissions produced by utilities such as electricity and heating.
Bills rose for millions of UK families in April because of an increase in the energy price cap, which is the maximum price that suppliers in England, Wales and Scotland can charge households. This meant an average increase of £693 (€810) for around 18 million households on standard tariffs - and £708 for 4.5 million prepayment customers.
But the cost-of-living crisis is set to deepen even further come October after Ofgem’s chief executive, Jonathan Brearley, told MPs on the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee that he expected the energy price cap to be 'in the region of £2,800' when it is reviewed later this year.
Greg Jackson, founder of Octopus Energy Group, said: 'This breakthrough partnership debunks a long-standing myth – that cleaner energy will mean higher bills for consumers. Instead, people living in these homes won’t be paying for energy at all.
'This is yet another demonstration that clean energy is cheap energy, and the best answer to the fossil fuel crisis is accelerating the transition to renewables.'
