Factory-built council homes among the greenest in the UK

Ilke Homes has built four zero-carbon council homes for the Royal Borough of Greenwich in its Knaresborough factory.

The homes are fitted with individual air source heat pumps and solar panels and have been designed to exceed net-zero carbon standards, meaning they are capable of delivering energy back to the grid.

The company worked with energy and regeneration specialist ENGIE to complete Greenwich’s first zero-carbon homes – as the Royal Borough gears up to meet its dual pledges of delivering 750 new council homes and reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2030.

The four council eco-homes were craned into place and installed following the enabling works by ENGIE which included demolition of existing site, substructure and utilities.

Because the homes were manufactured at ilke Homes’ 250,000 sq ft factory in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, minimal work was required when they arrived onsite.

This meant the homes were delivered faster than if traditional construction methods were used, ilke said.

The eco-homes are the most efficient homes the company has produced to date.

It said the fact that each home is capable of producing energy back to the grid, shows the potential for mass market roll out using ilke Homes factory technology and the technology installed in homes.

Matthew Bench, executive director of partnerships at ilke Homes, said: “These are some of the most energy-efficient homes on the market. Rather than using carbon offsetting schemes, which is a common occurrence when the industry talks about net-zero, all the carbon savings are achieved by the technologies of the homes themselves.”