The Pastures Place development in Lincolnshire will feature ‘free energy’ under a partnership between Barratt Redrow and British Gas.
Under the new trial, ten 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.
The homes’ eco technology will be provided by Hive. Hive’s Intelligent Energy Management uses software to control smart devices that are connected to the grid. This will optimise customers’ air source heat pumps, maximum-fit solar panels and batteries, smart sensors and lights. It can help to ensure more of a home’s energy needs are met from the energy generated from a home or help to use more energy when the grid is quieter and can deliver greener and cheaper energy.
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) 1 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 (SEG). Homeowners will continue to see low bills, with those generating more electricity than they use, achieving zero bills or earning money.
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.
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. Our partnership with Barratt Redrow is a strong example of how the right eco-tech empowers people to take control of their energy use and get even more from their homes.”
Further information about the properties can be found here – Pastures Place: New homes in Lincolnshire | David Wilson Homes
More Monitoring energy stories can be found by clicking here.
