Liverpool City Region unveils groundbreaking Zero-Energy-Bill Homes Initiative

Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram has unveiled a groundbreaking initiative aimed at revolutionising the housing sector by delivering innovative zero-energy-bill homes.

The Future Homes LCR plan, which aims to position the region as a centre of excellence for zero-carbon, low-energy-cost housing, was officially launched today (Monday, September 9) at a specially constructed house on the Liverpool waterfront outside the ACC conference centre.

Miatta Fahnbulleh, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Energy and Security and Net Zero is also attending The Housing Community Summit on 9 September and being shown energy saving projects by Liverpool City Region and local companies.

The news of the zero bills homes will provide a major boost for the economy as well as generating significant energy saving benefits and carbon emission reductions. It is also proof that the city region is at the vanguard of meeting government targets to build new houses.

Mayor Steve Rotheram said:

“The country is in the throes of a housing crisis that is driving up prices, creating homelessness, and holding back our economic growth. For too long, we have faced national governments that have ignored the growing crisis, but we have a new government that wants to tackle it head on.

“Keir Starmer’s pledge to build 1.5 million homes is exactly the bold action we need, and I want as many of them to be built here in the Liverpool City Region as possible. With innovative solutions like modular construction, we can make a massive dent in that target and deliver homes faster, more affordably, and sustainably.

“As Mayor, I’m committed to overseeing an affordable housing revolution in our region – including the return of large-scale council house building. We’ve got the skills, the expertise, and the determination to make this a success, and we stand ready to work with the government and legislated providers to make it happen.

“Future Homes LCR shows exactly what’s possible when innovation and collaboration come together – creating a brighter, more sustainable future for everyone.”

The unveiling of the Future Homes LCR house coincides with the opening day of the Housing Community Summit, a joint event from the Chartered Institute of Housing and the National Housing Federation.

The event brings together over 2,500 housing professionals, tenants and politicians, including a conference session with Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero and MP for Peckham, Miatta Fahnbulleh, under one roof at ACC Liverpool for the most collaborative event in housing.

Kate Henderson, Chief Executive of the National Housing Federation, said:

“We’re honoured to have this new initiative launched at the first ever Housing Community Summit. We share a joint ambition with the Liverpool City Region to solve the housing crisis and deliver a generation of new social homes. It’s great to see how innovative construction methods, like the one unveiled today, can help us achieve this; providing energy efficient, affordable homes for those that need them.”

Gavin Smart, Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute for Housing, added:

“It is great to see Future Homes LCR’s commitment to delivering more housing. Embracing modern methods of construction highlights how building can happen at pace to provide the much-needed homes this country needs which also makes a significant contribution towards our national carbon reduction ambitions. Not only providing a decent, safe and affordable place to live but also highlighting the varied and fulfilling career opportunities the housing sector provides.”

Using innovative Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) such as offsite manufacture, houses can be completed within a week and have estimated heating, hot water, and lighting bills of £124-a-year – or even zero, in some cases.

The homes are constructed and part-assembled off site. The Future Homes LCR waterfront house has been built using a light-gauge steel frame, clad with insulation and brick slips to create a super-insulated, airtight building with an energy performance (EPC) rating of 100%.

The Future Homes LCR scheme is a public-private alliance which aims to accelerate the development of ultra-low-carbon housing across the region, offering a sustainable solution to the housing crisis.

The initiative brings together local experts in modular housing construction and national suppliers to support councils and social housing providers in addressing both housing shortages and labour challenges.

The two-storey house has been built by the Wirral-based Starship Group, one of the leading manufacturers of zero-carbon prefabricated housing components.

As well as providing a backdrop to the Housing Community Summit the house will remain in place during the period of the Labour Party Annual Conference from September 22 – 25. It will then be disassembled and rebuilt at Starship’s Wirral Waters campus and become a prototype house used to promote MMC, and for training purposes.

This type of three-bedroom family home, constructed in just one week at Starship’s factory at Wirral Waters and installed within a few days, would normally come with a 10-year guarantee from Octopus Energy, ensuring residents will not receive any energy bills for 10 years.

Equipped with solar panels, a heat pump and a battery, the house offers a glimpse into the future of sustainable living.

Liverpool City Council Leader and Lead Member for Innovation at Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, Cllr Liam Robinson, said:

“We desperately need more homes to be built in Liverpool to ease the housing crisis and reduce the number of families on the waiting list for social housing. Working with our partners in the public and private sector, we are determined to deliver innovative solutions that are eco-friendly and energy efficient, helping us meet our ambitions around Net Zero and also cutting bills.”

Cabinet Member of the Combined Authority for Housing and Leader of Knowsley Council, Cllr Graham Morgan, said:

“I can testify that we really need to accelerate house building and affordable homes in our city region. We stand ready to play our part in building houses at scale and pace using modern methods of construction as this innovative show house demonstrates. It can and should be done to alleviate the housing crisis holding back growth and prosperity in so many of our communities’.”

A development of 13 modular homes, Greenleas, is already underway in Wallasey on the Wirral, also built by Starship Group and supported by £195,000 from the Liverpool City Region Brownfield Land Fund and Homes England.

Dave Dargan, Founder and CEO at Starship Group, said:

“These are exciting and challenging times, where combining innovative construction methods with new technologies, allows us to deliver next generation housing today. Low carbon living has always been part of Starship’s DNA. As one of the key partners of Future Homes Liverpool City Region, we can now showcase the region as a centre of excellence in delivering low-energy and zero bills’ homes. Building at scale and pace we can provide housing that transforms people’s lives while making a major contribution to tackling the national housing crisis.”

Nigel Banks, Octopus Energy Zero Bills Technical Director, said:

“Homes without energy bills aren’t a distant dream – they’re a reality. ‘Octopus Zero Bills’ is turbo-charging the green housing revolution, unlocking the power of technology and cheap renewables to deliver no energy bills.

“Our work with Liverpool City Region and Starship demonstrates that Zero Bills homes are available now and aren’t just helping customers eliminate the cost of energy but making the grid greener and cheaper at the same time.”

The project exemplifies how modular construction can fast-track housing developments and significantly reduce carbon footprints, using 60% less carbon than traditional methods.

The build is part of a broader ambition to harness modular building techniques to make full use of the 700 brownfield sites in the Liverpool City Region, which have the potential to accommodate 42,000 homes.

Future Homes LCR is a joint effort between key figures and organisations in the region, including David Meyerowitz, Chair of the Liverpool City Region Business and Enterprise Board; Rachael Baker, Managing Director at JJ Smith; and Dave Dargan, Founder & CEO at Starship Group.

The alliance is set to help the Liverpool City Region meet its target of building 83,000 new homes by 2040, as outlined in the Combined Authority’s Spatial Development Strategy.