The six one-bedroom homes have been built for people in need in the Woodseats area
Author: Julia Armstrong, Local Democracy Reporting ServicePublished 14 minutes ago
Last updated 13 minutes ago
New council homes equipped with the latest eco technology that make them net zero for carbon emissions have been unveiled by Sheffield City Council.
The six one-bedroom homes in the council’s Woodseats ward will act as supported housing for people who have experienced difficulties in managing a tenancy before.
The former council garage site has been transformed by the houses, which have been built by a company called ZED PODS Ltd. They specialise in building sustainable modular homes, which are manufactured at the company’s Peterborough factory and then assembled on site.
Coun Douglas Johnson, chair of the council’s housing policy committee, said: “It’s been worth waiting for. It’s really good to see something net zero in operation.
The small home feature solar panels and heat pumps
“This is really impressive, with huge amounts of insulation and a high-quality build. The houses have triple glazing, air source heat pumps and high ceilings with Velux windows that let a good amount of light in.”
Coun Johnson said that the all-electric homes, which also have solar photovoltaic panels on the roofs, should be very low-cost to run.
He said: “They are going to be used for supported housing for people who’ve had all sorts of history and difficulties in holding down a tenancy.
“It might have been that they have been homeless or had other issues and need and deserve a safe place to come to.” Coun Johnson said that council staff will give support to the tenants to help them build a better future.
He said it is important that the tenants have somewhere they feel safe, comfortable and secure.
Coun Johnson added that it is also important to show that new, high-quality net zero carbon council houses can be built and they can use plots of land that are difficult to develop, such as this one.
“That’s what we’re all talking about – how can we do more of this. We’ve got these first six houses and there’s been a lot of learning from this which can hopefully be a benefit in the future.”
He added: “We aim for quality, not just quantity of council homes that we desperately need.” The council has 38,000 homes in total.
Dr Rehan Khodabuccus from ZED PODS Ltd said that the firm was set up in 2016 in order to bring eco-friendly affordable housing into the social housing sector.
He said that too many high-quality eco houses were being built for cash-rich people who wanted legacy homes in order to be seen to be doing their bit to tackle the climate crisis.
The homes are also aimed to be easy to operate for tenants – all they have to do is set the thermostat to the temperature they want and the rest takes care of itself, with no need to master complicated new technology.
The firm specialises in developing brownfield land, car parks and garage sites and Dr Khodabuccus said it can build homes designed to stay dry in flood zones.
He said that ZED PODS delivers the whole process, from architectural design to manufacture of modular houses and completing the build on site. “We need good partners that understand what we are working to do and understand our vision.”
The houses are guaranteed for at least 60 years but Dr Khodabuccus said he thinks they will last at least twice as long as that.
Security features are built in so that tenants can feel safe and the design cuts out exterior noise.