The energy provider joins Gresham house and SO Resi, which have also teamed up with Ilke Homes for this project.

As part of the partnership, two factory-built, two-bedroom homes will be installed in Stanford-le-Hope, Essex, which will be made available for shared ownership.

The homes will be fitted with an air source heat pump, solar panels and battery storage technology to provide free, clean energy round the clock.

In addition, Octopus Energy will provide a bespoke tariff for the homes, which will be used as a safety net in the event that the resident exceeds the home's self-sufficient energy supply.

The homes will be part of the wider Hope Green scheme being delivered by Ilke Homes, Gresham House and SO Resi, comprising 153 homes — 101 of which will be zero-carbon in operation.

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The zero energy bill homes are part of Ilke Homes’ Ilke ZERO offering, which aims to deliver thousands of 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.

Giles Carter, CEO at Ilke Homes, said: “Our strategic partnership with Octopus Energy Group is the next milestone on our Ilke ZERO journey. 

“The premise of this partnership is to both empower consumers, who are faced with one of the worst cost-of-living crises in decades, and demonstrate that net-zero and construction can work hand in hand. 

“Thanks to years of intensive research and development, we have successfully created a ready-to-go, highly energy-efficient solution to housing delivery — one which will help investors future-proof investments against government policy, help meet strict ESG criteria, and allow for revenue streams to be accessed as quick as possible due to a significant reduction in construction programmes.”     

Greg Jackson, founder of Octopus Energy, added: “This breakthrough partnership debunks a long-standing myth — that cleaner energy will mean higher bills for consumers; instead, people living in these homes won’t be paying for energy at all.       

“This is yet another demonstration that clean energy is cheap energy, and the best answer to the fossil fuel crisis is accelerating the transition to renewables.”