Housebuilder and energy firm partner to bring 'zero bills' homes to Mid Sussex

As part of a wider fully zero carbon community featuring 120 sustainable homes, all ‘Zero Bills’ houses at Templegate will be installed with a raft of state-of-the-art clean technology - including solar PV panels, air-source heat pumps, wastewater heat recovery systems, home storage batteries and more.

‘Zero Bills’ is a world-first smart tariff that allows customers to move into ‘green’ homes with no energy bills on an ongoing basis, guaranteed for at least five years. The initiative is made possible through Octopus’ technology platform, Kraken, which connects to the clean energy devices installed in the home and manages their energy usage to deliver a zero bill. Octopus Energy plans to deliver 50,000 Zero Bills homes globally by 2025.

Construction of the new homes, between Keymer Road and Folders Lane in Burgess Hill, is underway with the first homes available to purchase from Thakeham’s newly opened Information Centre. A selection of two, three and four-bedroom homes are available with ‘Zero Bills’.

As part of a wider fully zero carbon community featuring 120 sustainable homes, all ‘Zero Bills’ houses at Templegate will be kitted out with solar PV panels, air-source heat pumps, wastewater heat recovery systems, home storage batteries and more.

Rob Boughton, Thakeham’s Founder and Chief Executive, said: “Thakeham believes that homes and communities can be built better. Octopus believes that energy can be much cheaper and greener. We are thrilled to partner with Octopus Energy to offer our house buyers peace of mind with zero energy bills in beautiful, sustainable, quality homes.”

Michael Cottrell, Zero Bills Homes Director at Octopus Energy, comments: “We’re thrilled to be partnering with Thakeham on one of our biggest ‘Zero Bills’ developments to date. Bill-free living is the future for homes everywhere – reducing households’ impact on the grid and on the environment too. The tech may be state-of-the-art but the premise is simple: greener is cheaper, and together with Thakeham we’re making it a reality.”

Ideally situated within walking distance to schools, amenities and Burgess Hill town centre, sustainable measures at Templegate extend beyond four walls. The flagship scheme will also provide a new children’s playground for the wider community, nature corridor planted with native trees, hedgerows, wildflower meadows and ponds to encourage wildlife and biodiversity, and additional cycle routes and footpaths to provide sustainable access to local facilities and public transport.

Nearby bus stops and Burgess Hill train station provide excellent regular connections to London, Brighton and Gatwick Airport. Road links to nearby towns Haywards Heath, Lewes and Chichester are reached easily via the A23 and A272.​

Templegate is named after a 19th Century artist, businesswoman and philanthropist, Emily Temple, who donated heavily to projects in Burgess Hill.

The new zero carbon community is a joint venture partnership with housing association Aster Group. Of the 120 homes, 36 will be available with Aster Group as affordable or through the government’s First Homes scheme.