The zero-carbon homes where energy bills are £100 a year

From the inside, the five properties that make up the Hockerton Housing Project look like millions of others up and down the country.
Bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchens are decorated and decked out according to the personal tastes of the owners. A range of mod cons occupy corners and work surfaces.
It is only when you step outside that the unique qualities of this housing development truly become clear.
Built into the land near the town of Southwell, west of Newark, North Nottinghamshire, the bungalows are “earth-sheltered”. Standing on the grass which covers the roofs, it is easy to forget that the homes are there at all.
Each one is six metres deep, with a 19-metre south-facing conservatory running the full width of each dwelling.
Residents generate their own water and food supplies. Wind turbines and a solar photovoltaic system provide most of the energy required to run their homes.
Temperatures inside each one are maintained at 18-23C 24 hours a day, year-round.
Yet, while the average UK energy bill is around £1,570 a year, here the residents can pay as little as £100.
Deborah Yates, who has lived on the development for more than ten years, said the design of the homes meant body heat was absorbed into the concrete walls and slowly released throughout the day. Guests are welcome.
“We get tours of 16 or 17 students in the winter I am like ‘come on in!’” she said.
“My last energy bill was £52 pounds for three months.
“If you can build homes like this that don’t require that much energy use and reduce people’s bills, that’s huge.”
The surrounding 40,000 sq m site is used to grow crops, rear sheep and chickens and harvest water.
Residents pitch in to work on the land, run tours of the property and manage events at an eco-venue.
Mrs Yates said: “This is an example of how everyone can live. With the climate crisis and the national grid and going over to electricity, we have to look at how we fuel our homes.”
John Grant, a lecturer in climate change resistance, agrees. He says the project is a model for sustainable housing.
“It’s a better way of living that is not expensive to deliver because of the simplicity of the design and the construction meaning it can be delivered at a comparable cost to new builds,” he said.
“I am concerned that our new government is fixated with building millions of houses, which is great, but I am worried that the regulations and the performance of those houses is going to be really standard.”
He added: “Unless things change significantly the world could be up to three degrees warmer by the end of the century. So we will experience periods of very very cold and very hot.
“If we weren’t to prepare for the change, which is what the Hockerton Housing Project allow us to do, that could be catastrophic.”
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