Barratt Developments’ Southampton division hosted a tour of a pioneering project demonstrating the effects of climate change on the housebuilding sector for councillors and business leaders across the south this week.

Some of the county’s key 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, headed to Energy House 2.0 on 24th July.

Energy House 2.0 is a £16m industry-leading project that is a collaboration between Barratt Developments, Bellway Homes and product manufacturer, Saint-Gobain, together with the University of Salford, and uses the learnings from Barratt’s first net zero home, known as “Zed House”.

The project comprises two detached houses that have been constructed in specially built climate chambers that recreate temperatures ranging from -20°C to +40°C. The chambers can also simulate a hurricane, heavy rain, snow and solar radiation to replicate the climate in 95% of the earth’s environments, to examine how homes of the future can withstand more extreme weather conditions.

Representatives from Barratt Developments’ Southampton division hosted the group and led talks and discussions about how the housebuilding sector will need to adjust to climate change. 

Oliver Novakovic, Technical and Innovation Director at Barratt Developments, discussed the ways in which Barratt is working with innovative companies to introduce sustainable technologies and in turn introduce them to partners that could help them scale up so that they are able to provide niche technology on a wider scale. 

The visit to Energy House 2.0 came at a prominent time as the new Labour Government promises 1.5m new homes during the coming Parliament as part of its commitment to rebuild Britain through major planning reforms. As part of its work through the Future Homes Hub, Barratt is working with the Government and other housebuilders and supplier to ensure that the built environment can help the UK to achieve net zero.

The built environment accounts for 40% of the UK’s carbon footprint. Achieving the Government’s carbon reduction targets will require a step-change in the design of new homes. Energy House 2.0 is researching , in tightly controlled conditions, new ways of powering, heating and insulating homes, whilst also cutting water usage. It will inform the sector about achieving a significant reduction in carbon emissions for new-build homes from 2025.

James Dunne, Managing Director of Barratt Homes Southampton Division, said: “At Barratt, 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.”