Octopus Energy has joined forces with a major UK housebuilder to bring energy-bill-free living to more Brits across the country. The new deal will combine Octopus’s Zero Bills tariff with Barratt Redrow’s property development plans to create sustainable homes, where residents “won’t pay a penny” for their home energy bills for 10 years. 

In the first phase of the partnership, Octopus and Barratt Redrow will roll out 54 ‘Zero Bills’ homes across two sites in Wixams, Bedfordshire and Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire. The first homes are expected to be completed in 2026, with both partners already exploring further potential Zero Bills sites across the UK. Nigel Banks, Zero Bills Director at Octopus Energy, said: “We’ve been working closely with Barratt Redrow on their research trials, and we are now able to showcase what can be achieved with Zero Bills at scale in new housing developments.”

He added: “With new homes already being built with solar panels, heat pumps and EV chargers, eliminating home energy bills with our game-changing tariff is now a simple, viable and cost-effective upgrade.”

Launched in 2022, the Zero Bills tariff lets customers move into homes packed with “cutting-edge” green technology – including a heat pump, a battery and solar panels – with no home energy bills for at least five to 10 years. 

Oliver Novakovic, technical and innovation director at Barratt Redrow, said: “Our partnership with Octopus marks our continued research into low and zero-bill living for our customers. By combining Barratt Redrow’s highly energy-efficient homes with Octopus’ Zero Bills technology, we’re helping buyers to cut their energy costs to zero whilst also lowering their carbon footprint. 

“This initiative shows how innovation in housebuilding and energy can work hand-in-hand to create homes that are not only more sustainable, but also more affordable for the long term.”

The deal follows Octopus Capital’s £100m funding through its Affordable Housing Fund, which will unlock more than 1,000 Zero Bills homes across England and Scotland.

To date, Octopus has approved over 5,000 Zero Bills homes through partnerships with developers, covering affordable and private rent, as well as private and shared ownership properties.

Octopus Energy aims to deliver 100,000 Zero Bills homes by 2030, and has already rolled out the initiative in Germany, France, New Zealand, as well as the UK.