Monica Wilson and her partner Rob have moved into a housing development that means they will pay no energy bills for at least the next five years. The couple, who paid £650,000 for their home in Epping, said the prospect initially seemed almost too good to be true.
UK's largest zero-bills development
Carpenters Yard is the UK's largest development to offer zero-energy bills in partnership with energy provider Octopus. Octopus Energy aims to deliver 100,000 such zero-bills homes by 2030.
Monica, 32, who works in communications, said she and Rob, 36, used to pay £1,300 a year for gas and electricity when they lived in a three-bedroom flat he owned in nearby Witham. She recalled the flat being freezing cold and described thermostat disagreements with Rob.
Savings and price cap context
Monica admitted she was initially sceptical, saying she thought there must be a catch, but added it was great to know that energy price rises will not affect them for five years. Based on their previous bills, and without accounting for price rises, they will save around £6,500 over that time.
The savings come as regulator Ofgem's price cap has risen by 4% to £1,723 a year for a typical dual fuel customer. The cap is forecast to jump in January by around 16%, taking an average bill to about £2,000 a year.
Community features and efficiency
The Carpenters Yard development includes shared allotments, a fitness centre, a community café, and a yoga deck. It also has an electric car club run with Polestar and an e-bike scheme with Volt.
Of the 78 private properties, there are 35 affordable homes – 20 for affordable rent and 15 for shared ownership. The timber-frame homes are said to be 15 times more efficient than the UK standard for airtightness, with triple glazing and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery. Interiors feature worktops made from 100% recycled glass and bathroom walls from recycled plastics, and the scheme was built with no skips on site and no waste to landfill.
