Flint unveils Barratt’s level six sustainable home

Housing Minister Caroline Flint unveiled Barratt’s Green House prototype today.

The house, built at the BRE Innovation Park in Watford, is the first developed by a mainstream, commercial house builder to meet level six of the Government’s Code for Sustainable Homes. The government has said that by 2016 all new homes must meet level 6 of the code.

The house features technology including heavyweight construction for high thermal mass, rainwater harvesting for toilet flushing and Solare PholtoVoltaic panels to provide power. It will be subject to testing over the next two years and Barratt plans to use some of the technology featured in new developments.

Flint said: “Not only does this house showcase what is already technologically possible; it shows that greener living doesn’t have to mean expensive design.”