Step inside Barratt’s eco upgrade as housebuilder creates Yorkshire’s homes of the future

Less than one per cent of homes in the UK have made the switch to heat pumps, with 80 per cent still relying on fossil-fuel-powered gas boilers.

However, with the Government aiming for heat pumps to become the primary heating source in British homes, and Net Zero targets requiring at least half of all properties to be equipped with them by 2050, developments like Pocklington could become the new norm.

Homes at this site exceed the latest energy-saving standards for new builds.

According to Daniel Smith, managing director of Barratt Developments Yorkshire East, the development is a test for the Government’s Future Homes Standard, which is expected to be introduced later this year.

The Future Homes Standard aims to drastically reduce carbon emissions from new homes by at least 75-80 per cent compared to current building regulations.

Under the new rules, heating and hot water demand would have to be met through low-carbon sources like heat pumps, solar panels and enhanced insulation.

The homes in Pocklington are up to 74 per cent more energy-efficient, potentially saving homeowners up to £2,590 per year on energy bills.

"Our Pocklington site is not a million miles off delivering the Future Homes Standard,” says Daniel. “We’d need to do a few tweaks here and there but nothing significant.”

Although it didn’t need to install solar panels to meet current building regulations, Barratt has added them to offset the running costs of the air source heat pumps.

"It’s a common misconception that an air source heat pump will reduce your energy bills,” says Daniel. "It reduces your carbon footprint but it’s still a little bit more expensive than traditional gas. However, when you take everything into account, including the insulation and how airtight the property is, it is cheaper to run than a second hand property.”

To bolster its work on energy efficiency, Barratt is also taking part in the Future Homes study at the University of Salford’s Energy House 2.0 research facility. It is helping test 14 different heating systems to determine which offer the most effective and affordable way to heat homes in the future.

The findings from the Future Homes study could help to understand the most efficient ways to heat homes when gas boilers begin to be phased out in new homes from 2025.

In Pocklington, the housebuilder is building 380 two, three, four, and five bedroom homes across its Wolds View and Stewarts Reach developments, under its David Wilson and Barratt Homes brands.

The David Wilson homes are built from traditional bricks while the Barratt homes are timber frame and constructed in its Derby and Selkirk factories.

Almost a third (30 per cent) of the homes are allocated for affordable housing through the Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust.

As part of its affordable housing offering, the development features a First Homes scheme designed to help local residents onto the property ladder — with 14 homes already sold through the initiative.

A part exchange option is also available, which one of its newest buyers recently used. Sarah Huckle, Ben Carter and their five-month-old son, Oscar, moved into their new three-bedroom David Wilson home earlier this month.

"We moved from Nottinghamshire to Pocklington because we wanted something that was good for families and the fact you can walk into Pocklington from here was a big attraction for us,” says Sarah. “We moved from a two bedroom Barratt home to our three bedroom home and part exchanged. It was really easy."

Barratt started building the development in January 2024 and expects 70 people to have moved into the site by the end of June.

Over 18 per cent of the Stewarts Reach homes have been reserved and almost 27 per cent of the David Wilson Homes.

"We are moving at pace from a building and selling point of view,” says Daniel. “It’s been a really strong site for us so far.”

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As well as housing, the site will also have a nursery, shops and allotments. In addition, the development has sustainability and biodiversity features, including attenuation basins to collect rainwater during periods of excessive rain. There are also native species of trees, hedges, and shrubs, bat boxes, bird boxes, and swift bricks, all approved by the RSPB.

Prices for a Barratt Home start at £245,000 in Pocklington and £335,200 for a David Wilson home, but location is key. Less than 10 miles away in the village of Weldrake, near York, is another Barratt site, which is an additional £80 per sq ft. “We cover all bases,” says Daniel. “If a customer in Wheldrake likes a house but they can’t afford it, we can direct them to Pocklington.”