The two-storey family home — which will be available for shared ownership — will be installed on a site in Stanford-le-Hope, Essex, as part of the wider Hope Green project, a 153-home shared ownership scheme funded by the Gresham House Residential Secure Income LP.

It will be precision-engineered along production lines at Ilke Homes’ factory in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire. 

Once complete, the home will be transported to site and craned into place in a matter of hours.

To reach the zero bills specification, Ilke Homes will install low-carbon technologies to provide cheap and clean energy.

Solar panels will be installed on the home’s roof to capture renewable energy for electricity and to power the home’s low-carbon air source heat pump for heating and hot water.

Ilke Homes will also install battery technology into the home to store solar panel-generated electricity for later use.

The factory-built home will also feature:

• highly insulated walls, floors and roofs
• airtight doors and windows to retain heat and stop draughts
• LED lighting and efficient water and ventilation systems

As part of further enhancements to the Hope Green project, Gresham House and Ilke Homes will also be delivering 101 operational zero-carbon homes via the company’s Ilke ZERO offering.

Launched in July 2021, Ilke ZERO aims to deliver 1,000 operational zero-carbon homes per year for major investors, housing associations, and councils across the UK. 

The homes have already been trialled in London, Newcastle, Gateshead, Newark, and Sunderland, and are now ready to be rolled out en-masse.

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Giles Carter, CEO at ilke Homes, said: “The cost-of-living crisis is here and now. 

“Since the turn of the century, UK households have become overly reliant on gas imports, leaving consumers at risk from rising wholesale gas prices. 

“Thanks to advances in manufacturing, materials, and renewable energy, we have created homes that not only drastically reduce household bills, but also give consumers greater control over their own energy usage.

“There’s a huge opportunity here to tackle fuel poverty while helping investors meet their green targets, which is why we’ve spent years investing into our manufacturing capabilities. 

“The launch of the zero bills home is a great example of how the private sector can respond to politicians’ net-zero pledges and address some of society’s most prominent problems.”

Alistair Wardell, investment director at Gresham House, commented: “Our deal with Ilke Homes provides an innovative and much-needed solution to the historic undersupply of shared ownership housing in the south east of England. 

“Gresham House is committed to helping alleviate the shortage of affordable housing in the UK and to delivering sustainable and innovative solutions to this problem. 

“This project will deliver real-world benefits to residents in Hope Green and is another step on the journey towards widespread development of net zero residential homes across the UK.”

Kush Rawal, director of residential investment at SO Resi, added: “The housing sector clearly has a big part to play in driving down carbon emissions and moving towards more sustainable methods of construction and environmentally friendly homes. 

“However, we have always stressed that it is important to strike a balance and work with partners, such as Ilke Homes and Gresham House, to ensure a move to green living remains affordable for the consumer, otherwise we risk creating a two-tier society where being sustainable is only for those who can afford it.

“Innovations such as those within Hope Green put sustainability at their very core and go above and beyond what is expected — particularly within the affordable homes sector. 

“Our priority is always to ensure housing remains accessible to those who need it most, and it is an exciting milestone that the pioneering bill free house will be available through shared ownership, rather than to the highest bidder.”