Carbon negative homes hit Copthorne

In a first of its kind project, St Modwen Homes has launched two brand-new affordable carbon negative properties at its Heathy Wood development in Copthorne.

As the first major housebuilder to deliver such a project, St Modwen is one of the UK’s leading developers of new communities and high-quality homes.

The homes are part of a trial that will demonstrate the potential to deliver some of the most energy efficient and commercially scalable properties in the world.

Create more energy than used

The three-bedroom homes are designed to produce more energy than they consume and could reduce a family’s total energy bills by 52% when compared with a standard new build house and around 79% compared with the average UK home.

Simple improvements to building fabric, insulation, and ventilation have transformed the efficiency of the homes compared to traditional builds, with the properties 10 times as airtight as industry standards. The homes are also fitted with photovoltaic solar panels, a battery, an electric vehicle charger, an air-source heat pump, a smart hot water tank, heat recovery ventilation and a wastewater heat recovery unit to minimise energy use and reduce emissions.

The homes are built with a timber frame and the foundations have been formed using low-carbon concrete, meaning the embodied carbon has also been reduced from the outset.

Energy efficiency

Dave Smith, Managing Director, St. Modwen Homes, said: “With energy prices continuing to rise, creating energy-efficient homes that are affordable to build is more vital now than it ever has been.

“As an industry leader in using low-carbon modern methods of construction already, we have a responsibility to use this experience to prove that carbon negative houses can significantly cut energy bills and reduce emissions. Over the course of this year, we will be analysing the results of this latest trial to aid us in our objective to build these new homes at scale for the benefit of homeowners and the environment.” Partnership with British Gas

Working in partnership with British Gas, the homes will be fitted out with Hive Smart Home technology. This will include elements like a Hive smart thermostat and smart radiator valves to enable the household to control their usage. British Gas has also installed an electric vehicle charger for further energy efficiency outside the home.

St. Modwen will be analysing the results of the trial over the course of 2022.

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