RIBA award winning zero carbon design and development pioneers ZEDfactory have unveiled their innovative response to the housing crisis - the Zero Bills Home.
Zero Bills in a nutshell aims to make home energy bills obsolete. With a clever design that minimises energy requirements, the very low energy needs of the household are met by a roof-integrated PV and energy storage system which can also generate enough power to service a small electric vehicle.
The home is heated by a small air source heat pump that recycles heat recovered from stale air that’s been processed by a mechanical ventilation heat recovery system. With the average annual household spend on home energy exceeding £1300 and car fuel exceeding £1000, significant lifetime savings can be met for the Zero Bills householder.
Zero Bills comes as a kit of parts – a steel frame with timber wall panels the bulk of which is manufactured in the UK. The system is affordable at £1350 per square meter and quick and easy to build with.
Speaking at the launch Bill Dunster said: "SME builders are key to delivering the 250,000 homes per annum we need across the UK – the Zero Bills system is an off the shelf solution for SMEs that could really drive the market in the right direction. With its integrated energy generation facility it shows how we could actually reduce the investment needed for centralised national infrastructure by becoming net exporters of renewable energy."
Zero Bills is aiming to be one of the first homes assessed under BRE’s new Home Quality Mark which provides consumer-friendly, impartial information via a star ratings system on the quality and sustainability of new homes. It has already been commissioned for use on a development in Newport Essex for the Sir Arthur Ellis Trust (subject to planning permission).
BRE’s Chief Executive Peter Bonfield who opened the house said: "Zero Bills represents new thinking and a fresh approach to the significant challenges and opportunities we face in the housing market."
Zero Bills is located on the world renowned BRE Innovation Park in Watford, a mini-demonstration community of homes and buildings of the future which has been visited by Prime Minister David Cameron, the Premier of China Li-Keqiang and HRH Prince Charles.
