Thakeham and Octopus Energy partner up to bring ‘zero bills’ homes to Sussex

Sussex housebuilder Thakeham has joined forces with national power supplier Octopus Energy to bring ‘zero bills’ homes to Burgess Hill.

A total of 48 properties are eligible for the scheme at the new build development, Templegate, where homeowners are guaranteed no energy bills for at least five years.

As part of a wider zero carbon community featuring 120 sustainable homes, all zero bills homes at Templegate will be installed with a raft of clean technology – including solar panels, air-source heat pumps, wastewater heat recovery systems, home storage batteries and more.

Zero bills is a world-first smart tariff that allows customers to move into ‘green’ homes with no energy bills on an ongoing basis.

The initiative is made possible through Octopus’ technology platform, Kraken, which connects to the clean energy devices installed in the home and manages their energy usage.

Octopus Energy plans to deliver 50,000 zero bills homes globally by 2025.

Construction of the new homes between Keymer Road and Folders Lane is underway, with the first available to purchase from Thakeham’s newly opened information centre.

A selection of two, three and four-bedroom homes are available with zero bills. 

Rob Boughton, Founder and Chief Executive of Thakeham, said: “We believe that homes and communities can be built better.

“Octopus believes that energy can be much cheaper and greener.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Octopus Energy to offer our house buyers peace of mind with zero energy bills in beautiful, sustainable, quality homes.”

Michael Cottrell, zero bills homes director at Octopus Energy, added: “We’re thrilled to be partnering with Thakeham on one of our biggest zero bills developments to date.

“Bill-free living is the future for homes everywhere – reducing households’ impact on the grid and on the environment too.

“The tech may be state-of-the-art, but the premise is simple – greener is cheaper, and together with Thakeham we’re making it a reality.”

The Templegate scheme will also provide a new children’s playground, nature corridor planted with native trees, hedgerows, wildflower meadows and ponds to encourage wildlife and biodiversity, and additional cycle routes and footpaths to provide sustainable access to local facilities and public transport. 

The new zero carbon community is a joint venture partnership with housing association Aster Group.

Of the 120 homes, 36 will be available with Aster Group as affordable or through the government’s First Homes scheme.