AN ENVIRONMENTALLY conscious homebuilder is leading the way in sustainable housing after revealing plans for its first net-zero carbon emitting development.
Sixteen houses fully powered by renewable sources and smart technology will be built in the village of Calthwaite by successful Cumbria-based housebuilder Genesis Homes as part of its EcoGen project.
The project is part of the business’ ongoing commitment to significantly reduce household emissions, with 40 per cent of UK carbon emissions attributed to households.
Nicky Gordon, the Managing Director of Genesis Homes and who has led the EcoGen project, said: “We are endeavouring to be the best we possibly can in our practices and this development underlines our serious commitment to tackling the climate crisis.
“We are leading the way in the sustainable house building sector because we feel passionate about reducing our impact on the environment, and we are encouraging our customers to join us on this journey.
“For us, this is just the starting point in our commitment to sustainable living and we are excited to see how this pioneering project will shape our long-term business plan.
“By building these homes, we are removing harmful carbon emissions from households while significantly reducing energy costs for the homeowner so we regard this development as a win-win situation.”
By introducing the greener homes, more than 850 tonnes of carbon emissions will be saved over a 10-year period, compared to a traditional ‘grid and gas’ development of the same size.
Every net zero emitting home will have…
Since the company was formed five years ago, Genesis Homes has introduced energy efficient features to all its homes. All properties are already built to very strong building standards for thermal efficiency and air tightness.
Among the many green features of the existing homes are energy efficient LED lighting, smart energy meters, dual flush toilets, water shaving shower heads, A-rated boilers and appliances.
The first EcoGen development cements the company’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions further and allows it to build a platform to construct further low carbon net-zero emitting homes in the future.
Nicky added: “This is an ongoing project and the net-zero emitting homes at Calthwaite are a line in the sand in our commitment to our sustainability agenda.
“We are now working on a considerable study into the embodied carbons in our construction and expect to make further improvements to how we build in the coming months.
“We see the EcoGen project as an opportunity to create an emphasis on wellbeing, and will be looking to adapt our development objectives further in the future to combine our energy efficiency home specification with wider emphasis on biodiversity features.
“It’s such an exciting and progressive time in the business to make a real change in the housing landscape.”
To coincide with the launch of EcoGen Homes, a competition to win £630 worth of smart tech gadgets for the home will be held. The package includes an Amazon Echo Show 8, Amazon Echo Dot, Amazon Echo Dot Kids, Amazon Echo Flex, two Amazon Smart Plugs, a Ring doorbell, Philips Hue Go Light and Philips Hue Starter Kit 2 Bulb Pack.
