The collaboration will kick off with the delivery of 30 zero-carbon homes in Wilburton, east Cambridgeshire, which will have an EPC rating of 105/100, placing them above the highest category of ‘A’.

The residential scheme was recently granted planning approval and is backed by a £3.6m loan from Homes England.

Etopia Group will create the modular homes using low-carbon technologies, including air source heat pumps, sustainable building methods, energy-efficient building fabrics, and smart devices that collect real-time data on a home’s energy performance.

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Nigel Barclay, assistant director at Homes England, said: “If we’re to simultaneously meet climate and housebuilding targets, then genuinely innovative steps that create supply-side incentives to increase the number of energy-efficient homes being delivered will be vital. 

“Our role as the government’s housing accelerator is to be bold and take steps that unlock crucial capacity and, offsite manufacturing — with its sustainability and efficiency credentials — is a perfect solution.”

Joseph Daniels, founder and chief executive of Etopia Group, added: “Our partnership with Homes England is a great example of how the private and public sector can work together to deliver highly energy-efficient housing across the UK.

“As world leaders meet this week, tackling the emissions produced from construction and housing remains a sticking point. 

“In order to meet our legally-binding net-zero targets, solutions to cleaning up housing’s act will be vital, and this partnership will offer an innovative solution to this problem.”

Last year, Etopia Group achieved the Carbon Neutral International Standard and joined the United Nations Climate Neutral Now initiative.