'No energy bills for two years' trial starts in Lincolnshire village - with plans for wider rollout
A group of homeowners in a Lincolnshire village will have no energy bills for two years as part of a renewable energy research project set to be rolled out more widely across the country.
Housebuiilder Barratt Redrow and British Gas are running a trial with 10 households on the Pastures Place development in the village of Corby Glen near Grantham in what is intended to be the first test of a wider partnership roll-out over the coming year.
The homeowners will pay no energy bills on their homes for two years in return for sharing data on the use of their home’s eco technology and their home in use, enabling the partners to understand how consumers adapt to living in a home with renewable energy.
Pastures Place has been developed by Barratt Redrow’s David Wilson Homes brand, with the homes’ eco technology will be provided by British Gas’s eco-tech brand Hive.
A spokesperson said: “Homeowners won’t pay electricity bills for heating, hot water, lighting, cooking and household appliances for two years, saving them around £1,258 per year (£105 per month) for an energy bill in a typical new build house. Actual energy bill savings will depend on the size of a home, the amount of people living in the home and usage patterns.
“If the trial is successful, it could mark the start of a wider roll-out at a time when energy bills are on average higher than they have historically been.
“The deal doesn’t include electrical car charging and also carries a fair usage agreement of 5,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) in total over the year.
“If a home generates more electricity than a consumer uses, they can, after the two-year trial, sell the extra energy through the Smart Export Guarantee. Homeowners will continue to see low bills, with those generating more electricity than they use, achieving zero bills or earning money.”
The data from the trial homes will also be analysed by scientists at the University of Salford.
Barratt Redrow and the University of Salford have for the past two years been researching technologies in its net zero carbon concept house built within the Energy House 2.0 climate chamber.
By monitoring the homes for two years, the partners will also be able to share the data with leading surveyors and mortgage lenders to help them to understand the impact on valuation and the link to green mortgages that better reflect the higher disposable income that homeowners might have from living in a more energy efficient home.
Oliver Novakovic, Head of Technical & Innovation at Barratt Redrow, said: “The partnership will see Barratt Redrow and British Gas test a template for delivering low to no bill homes at scale.
"The trial of free energy bill homes at Corby Glen is an important step forward from the concept homes that we have built at the University of Salford to delivering the learnings into customers’ homes.
"We are designing and delivering innovative, energy efficient, low carbon homes that enable customers to live comfortably with advanced fabric and heating technology, so that they can gain the benefits of both lower bills.”
Hamish Phillips, Net Zero Business Development Director at Centrica, which owns British Gas and Hive, added: “British Gas is proud to bring its trusted expertise into the homes of the future using Hive’s innovative technology.
"We understand the meaningful difference that smart home solutions can make—not only helping customers save money, but also supporting their ambitions to live more sustainably.”