Zero Bills Home

In March 2016, the Zero Bills Home was launched on the BRE Innovation Park in Watford as an innovative response to the housing crisis.

Developed by RIBA-award winning ZEDfactory, the Zero Bills Home aims to make home energy bills a thing of the past by using intelligent design to minimise energy requirements.

With a steel frame and timber wall panels, the zero bills home comes as a kit of parts, which at £1,350 per sq.m, is relatively affordable and both quick and easy to build.

Heat is generated by a small air source heat pump that recycles heat recovered from stale air processed by a mechanical ventilation heat recovery (MVHR) system.

A roof-integrated photovoltaic (PV) and energy storage system generates enough energy to power a small electric vehicle and is capable of meeting the very low energy needs of the household. As the average annual household spend on energy exceeds £1,300, and car fuel exceeds £1,000, the householder could achieve significant lifetime savings.

Speaking at the launch, ZEDfactory architect 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.”

BRE’s Chief Executive Peter Bonfield said: “Zero Bills represents new thinking and a fresh approach to the significant challenges and opportunities we face in the housing market.”

In 2015, BRE launched a new Home Quality Mark to provide consumer-friendly, impartial information on the quality and sustainability of new homes. The Zero Bills home is likely to be one of the first homes to be assessed.

You can find out more here.

--BRE Group

[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki

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• BRE Watford Innovation Park.
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• Home Quality Mark.
• Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design LEED.
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• Net zero carbon 2050.
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