The residents of a new housing estate being built in Northrepps should have less to worry about when it comes to energy bills. 

Broadland Housing is building 19 new homes off Broadgate Close in the village which have been designed with a raft of cost-saving measures including everything from solar panels to air source heat pumps. 

The homes are the first the housing association has designed to be ‘net carbon zero’ - meaning any carbon emissions they create are balanced out by taking the same amount out of the atmosphere. 

Eastern Daily Press:

Andrew Savage, Broadland Housing’s executive development director, said the project was part of a focus on cutting costs for householders - an increasingly important issue amid rising inflation and energy prices.  

Mr Savage said: “The project team has been exploring the changes Norfolk developers and construction industry need to implement to achieve net zero carbon.

“We have also been working with local contractors and suppliers to encourage them to engage with their existing supply chains to increase the effectiveness of workmanship and products, which can be replicated on future projects. 

"The key is to find the ‘sweet’ spot between construction technique and cost.”

Eight of the homes are for affordable rent and two for shared ownership.

The other nine homes are being developed by Broadland Housing’s subsidiary, Broadland St Benedicts, for sale on the open market. The proceeds of the sales will subsidise the affordable homes. 

The new houses will feature an enhanced insulated timber frame, triple glazed windows, air source heat pumps, air tightness with mechanical ventilation, and heat recovery to minimise energy demand.

Rooftop photovoltaic solar panels should generate enough electricity each year to offset each property’s energy use.

The homes are due to be finished by spring 2024, when people who need housing and have a local connection to Northrepps will be able to bid for them on North Norfolk District Council’s website.

Mr Savage added: “We are now turning our attention to reducing the embodied carbon from the manufacturing and construction process along with providing biodiversity net gain on our developments.  

“For example, trees used in manufacturing the timber frame that have absorbed carbon, along with a rewilding area adjacent to the site, will help off-set carbon emissions from the construction process itself.”