Octopus Energy and Bellway Homes announce ‘Zero Bills’ partnership

• Bellway is the first national housebuilder to join the low-carbon homes project
• Pilot to launch in Stafford, with 250 homes in Bedfordshire to follow soon
• Partnership boosts Octopus’ goal of building 50,000 energy bill-free homes by 2025
• Zero Bills™ homes save households around £1,800 a year on energy bills

London, 8th November 2023 - Octopus Energy today announces a long-term partnership with Bellway Homes, one of UK’s largest housebuilders, to deliver Zero Bills homes at scale.

Zero Bills is a world-first smart proposition that allows customers to move into homes which have no energy bills for at least five years, guaranteed.

The homes are fully kitted out with state-of-the-art green energy technology – including an air-source heat pump, a home battery, and roof-mounted solar panels – which are then optimised by Kraken, Octopus Energy’s tech platform.

Zero Bills households save around £1,800 a year on energy bills compared to those on a standard variable tariff, based on current energy rates.*

Bellway, a 5-star housebuilder, which last year built c.11,000 homes, is the first major housing developer to engage with the pioneering project and is looking to implement Zero Bills homes in future developments.

The housebuilder is currently building three Zero Bills homes at its Victoria Gate development in Stafford as part of the company’s Future Homes research project, which will go on the market in December 2023.

From 2024, a further 250 Zero Bills homes are planned at a Bellway development in Bedfordshire, with the potential for more sites to follow soon.

The Future Homes Standard is a government initiative requiring new homes to reduce carbon emissions by 75 per cent and is due to come into force in 2025. Bellway’s research project is also tied to its ambitious sustainability strategy, ‘Better with Bellway’, which includes a commitment to significantly reduce carbon emissions through the setting of Science-Based Targets (SBTs) and by designing homes to meet new energy efficiency standards and utilising green technologies.

Octopus Energy has now accredited close to 1,000 homes across the UK through contracts with developers and housing providers. Accredited plots span affordable, social, shared ownership, private ownership, and rented housing. The company plans to deliver 50,000 Zero Bills homes globally by 2025.

Michael Cottrell, Zero Bills Homes Director at Octopus Energy, said: “Zero Bills is a complete game changer, and having one of the UK’s largest housebuilders on board to develop their first Zero Bills homes is a momentous occasion for sustainable living. With Bellway committing to this revolutionary scheme, we can provide even more homeowners with zero energy bills for five years, guaranteed. It means we can make green living the standard, not the exception.”

Jason Honeyman, CEO of Bellway, said: “We are proud to be the first national housebuilder to partner with Octopus to deliver Zero Bills homes at scale. These homes will be at the cutting edge of sustainable design and will also save our customers thousands of pounds in energy costs as cost-of-living challenges persist across the country.

“This long-term partnership is a key part of our delivery of energy efficient homes as we work towards the Future Homes Standard and it exemplifies our commitment to putting people and the planet first.”

-ENDS-

Notes to editors:

*£1834 Ofgem price cap, based off Ofgem Typical Domestic Consumption Value (TDCVs) of an average home

Press Contacts

Octopus Energy Group

Press team

press@octoenergy.com

+44 (0)20 4530 8369

Bellway Homes

Press Office

Powerscourt

media@bellway.co.uk

bellway@powerscourt-group.com

+44 (0)191 217 0717

+44 (0) 20 7250 1446

media@bellway.co.uk

About Octopus Energy Group

Octopus Energy is a global energy and technology group, driving the affordable, green energy system of the future. Its operations span 17 countries and the entire energy value chain. The group invests in, builds and flexibly manages renewable energy, operating a £6 billion portfolio of projects – one of Europe’s largest.

Octopus serves 5.9 million customers through its retail arm, and has licensed its advanced data and machine learning platform, Kraken, to support 40 million customer accounts worldwide through licensing deals with energy companies, including EDF, E.ON and Origin Energy, with the potential for further 10 million to follow soon.

Kraken enables Octopus to drive the electrification of heat and transport through smart tariffs and innovative cleantech. Backed by pension funds, investors and energy giants, Octopus Energy Group businesses deliver cheaper, greener energy and cutting-edge tech to countries and customers worldwide.

For more information, check out our website.

About Bellway Homes

Bellway Homes is a FTSE 250 Index listed residential housebuilder based in Newcastle upon Tyne, employing almost 3,000 staff across 21 Divisions across England, Scotland and Wales.

Bellway began as a small family business in the North East in 1946 - with a passion for building exceptional quality homes in carefully selected locations, inspired by the needs of real families. We are proud of our heritage in the North East, and remain one of the region’s largest employers, with our Head Office still being located in Newcastle upon Tyne.

To this day, we maintain these same core values, combining our decades of expertise with the level of personalised care that Bellway is known for.

We are delighted to have been awarded 5 star builder status by the Home Builders Federation for the seventh year running, with 9 out of 10 customers saying they would recommend us to a friend.

Bellway Homes