Is a future without energy bills possible?
By Hannah McCarthy - Business Development Manager, Zero Bills at Octopus
Energy bills have become a growing concern for households across the UK since 2021, when prices first started soaring. They spiked again this January, and with another rise expected in April, there’s no sign of things getting easier anytime soon.
The government is working to address this, pledging to cut household energy bills by up to £300 by 2030. But this target seems ambitious at current rates of progress, leaving many of us wondering if there’s a better solution.
What if technology and sustainable design could do the heavy lifting instead? What if we could build homes that generate their own energy, manage it efficiently, and never leave you with a bill at the end of the month?
Could we, in other words, imagine a world without energy bills at all?
How to live with no energy bills
Octopus Energy’s Zero Bills homes initiative is reshaping the way we think about sustainable living. Using cutting-edge technology to generate and store renewable energy, we’re creating homes that not only dramatically reduce carbon footprints but also guarantee homeowners zero energy bills for at least five years.
Here’s how it works: solar panels, a home battery, and a heat pump all work together to keep your home running efficiently. Just set your thermostat and we’ll handle the rest, heating your home when it’s cheapest and greenest. And it gets even better for EV drivers—if you’ve got an electric car, you can hook it up with our Intelligent Octopus Go tariff, charging your car at the best times without lifting a finger.
A great example of Zero Bills homes in action is Templegate in Burgess Hill. In 2024, we partnered with Thakeham to pilot our Zero Bills scheme at this 120-home development. The response was huge, with homes selling five times faster than the UK average. Following the success of the pilot, we’re now working with Thakeham on a 1,350-home Zero Bills development in West Sussex, bringing energy-efficient living to more people.
Balancing the grid, cutting your emissions
New homes in the UK have to meet Part L standards, which means they need to be built to be more energy-efficient. But Zero Bills homes go further, combining solar panels, batteries, and heat pumps with smart energy tariffs to create homes that don’t just use less energy—they create and store their own.
This isn’t just about saving money—it’s about building homes that help balance the grid and cut carbon emissions at the same time.
Most builders focus on insulation, what’s called a “fabric first” approach, where they focus on making walls and roofs as airtight as possible. But this approach doesn’t always work, because the carbon used to make the insulation materials can outweigh the benefits in a fully electrified home.
Instead, we take a “fabric fifth” approach:
- We start by installing an air source heat pump: The most sustainable way to heat a home.
- Next, we implement smart controls and tariffs: Our homes use energy at the greenest and cheapest times.
- Then we tweak for quality: We make small tweaks, such as draught proofing, to improve comfort.
- We go big on solar generation and battery storage: Making homes as self-sufficient as possible.
- And finally, we insulate: So homes need less energy to stay warm.
Our homes are guaranteed to be Zero Bills for ten years—-but it doesn’t have to stop there. With the right setup, these homeowners can enjoy either zero or super-low energy bills for many more years.
What’s next for Zero Bills?
The initiative is growing fast, with plans for 100,000 homes by 2030. And it’s going global, with projects already expanding into markets like Germany and New Zealand. This isn’t just a UK success story—it’s a global step forward for sustainable housing, with the potential to transform how we live for generations to come.
But there are still challenges to overcome. Two-thirds of new homes built in England in the year to the end of March 2022 use gas for central heating, according to the Office for National Statistics. The government's Future Homes Standard aims to change that, requiring new homes to reduce carbon emissions by 75% to 80%.
Another challenge is grid capacity, which will need to grow as heat pumps and EVs become more common. Both require significant amounts of electricity, especially during peak times. But smart solutions are already making a difference. Homes equipped with solar panels and battery storage systems, such as those in the Zero Bills initiative, generate and store their own renewable energy. This reduces reliance on the grid, especially during high-demand times.
Towards a future without energy bills
Although a future without energy bills might seem ambitious, it's already becoming a reality. By integrating renewable energy, advanced technology, and energy-efficient design, our Zero Bills homes protect people from rising energy costs while cutting carbon emissions.
And if you’re not in the market for a brand-new home but still want to slash your energy bills, upgrading your current home with solar panels or a heat pump is a great place to start. We offer £500 off solar panels and heat pumps to all employees of businesses on our EV salary sacrifice scheme—whether you have a car with us or not.
That means lower bills, a smaller carbon footprint, and a smarter, more flexible grid. A great perk for your team—and a step towards a greener energy system for everyone.
