Property
Published: November 19, 2024 | Updated: 19th November 2024
The UK’s leading housebuilder, Barratt Redrow, is committed to making the homes of the future as planet friendly as possible.
On a recent visit to the cutting-edge Energy House project at the University of Salford, sponsored by Barratt Redrow, the housebuilder’s Southampton division showed politicians and business leaders from the south coast how it’s measuring the impact of extreme weather on the built environment.
Building sustainable communities
With the new government’s ambitious target to build 1.5m new homes during the coming parliament, Barratt Redrow, through its Future Homes Hub, is working with the government and other housebuilders and suppliers to ensure that the built environment can help the UK achieve net zero.
As part of its mission to become the UK’s leading sustainable housebuilder, the developer has collaborated with Bellway Homes, product manufacturer, Saint-Gobain, and the University of Salford to create a £16m industry-leading project that is looking at ways that the homes of the future can withstand more extreme weather conditions. Known as Energy House 2.0, the project uses learnings from Barratt’s first net zero home, known as ‘Zed House’.
The detached houses at Energy House 2.0 have been constructed in specially built climate chambers that recreate temperatures ranging from -20°C to +40°C, as well as simulating wind, rain, snow and solar radiation to replicate the climate in 95% of the earth’s environments.
During a visit to Energy House 2.0, hosted by the housebuilder, local councillors and business leaders were able to see how Barratt Redrow will use the project’s findings to make sure the homes of the future are as sustainable as possible.
Among the guests were some of Southampton’s key influential stakeholders, including Councillor John Savage from Southampton City Council, Cabinet Member for Green City and Net Zero, along with Business South’s Group CEO Leigh-Sara Timberlake and Head of Strategy Kate Peace, Alex Rennie, former leader of Havant Borough Council and his colleague, Parliamentary Assistant and Hampshire County Councillor, Imogen Payter, and Councillor Martin Lury, Leader of Arun District Council.
A step-change in design
While there is no way to precisely predict what the future will hold in terms of climate change, the Energy House project is finely calibrated to assess the best way of futureproofing our housing stock. The project is researching, in tightly controlled conditions, new ways of powering, heating and insulating homes, while also cutting water usage. Thie results will inform the sector about achieving a significant reduction in carbon emissions for new-build homes from 2025. And with the built environment accounting for 40% of the UK’s carbon footprint, clearly a step-change in the design of new homes will be needed if the government’s carbon reduction targets are to be met.
But when it comes to the houses of the future, one size definitely doesn’t fit all. During the visit, Oliver Novakovic, Technical and Innovation Director at Barratt Redrow, explained some of the unique challenges Barratt Redrow faces in the UK. “Most houses in Europe are built with a timber frame, but in the UK there is still a perception that ‘brick is best’,” said Oliver. To keep its customers happy while at the same time ensuring its homes are sustainably built, the developer has created a brick ‘cladding’ which is effectively a render that goes over the top of the timber.
When it comes to saving water, Oliver admitted our love of baths is a concern for housebuilders. “Ideally the houses of the future would only have showers but at present market demand is very much for baths in bathrooms – it’s difficult to sell houses without them.”
The use of rainwater, also known as ‘grey water’, also meets with resistance, although it could significantly help with water consumption. Oliver explained: “Grey water is perfectly OK to use in homes to flush toilets, or in the washing machine, but a lot of customers are put off by this, because it isn’t the clean water we are used to seeing in our homes.”
Oliver acknowledged that these are just a few of the things that can be tested at Energy House for future developments and trials with customers to address and hopefully change attitudes.
The houses of the future will undoubtedly be smarter, and as electric vehicles take over from those powered by fossil fuel, Barratt is looking at how our cars and houses can have a reciprocal arrangement for fuel exchange. “We think it won’t be long until our homes can actually take energy from our EV car’s battery when needed, and vice versa,” said Oliver.
Reducing construction’s carbon footprint
Commenting on his visit to this innovative project, the Leader of Arun District Council, Cllr Martin Lury, said: “The trip to Energy House 2.0 was a really positive experience. Seeing the innovation that’s being worked on for the future of house building is exciting. As a local authority we are always on the lookout for forward-thinking solutions and strive to ensure homes built in our area are in line with the latest sustainability credentials.”
Emphasising Barratt’s commitment to the Energy House 2.0 project, James Dunne, Managing Director of Barratt Homes Southampton Division, said: “At Barratt Homes, we do more than build modern homes and beautiful developments. We also design sustainable and energy-efficient places to live that enhance and support the environment.
“The Energy House project is a bold statement about how we as housebuilders are taking climate change more seriously, as well as how innovations can help to improve the sustainable footprint of the housebuilding sector.
“Usually, it would take years to collect the data needed to evaluate the performance of a new design or technology, as we would need to wait for different climates. Because researchers can precisely control the environment to within half a degree at Energy House, they can gather that data in months.
“This means that accurate results can be achieved quickly, accelerating the innovation process. It also means that we’ll be able to understand the impact of multiple innovations in Barratt and Saint-Gobain’s eHome2, which will give us a better understanding of how they will perform in the real world.
“Barratt is committed to making the homes of the future as planet friendly as possible, which is why being part of the Energy House project is so important.”
