Tarmac Ltd and Lovell Partnerships are set to build two demonstration homes at the University of Nottingham in order to provide housebuilders and Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) with a model for low cost, scaleable zero carbon housing which has the potential to be replicated across the UK.

The semi-detached properties, which will be built to Code Levels 6 and 4 of the Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH) are the next phase of the University of Nottingham’s Creative Energy Homes project and will effectively demonstrate that the highest levels of the CSH can be attained by using traditional masonry products and techniques.

Once complete, the houses will be inhabited and extensively monitored to determine in-use energy performance of homes built to these levels of the Code.

One of the homes will achieve CSH level 4, corresponding to a 44% reduction in energy use compared to current building regulations. The other will be CSH 6 or "zero-carbon", corresponding to a 150% plus reduction in energy use..

Both homes feature extremely high air tightness, insulation and ventilation with heat recovery. In the case of the CSH 6 house, the design incorporates a sun-space - south facing glazing with a generous roof overhang that maximises solar heat gains during the winter, but minimises them in summer.

Both houses feature forms of renewable energy. The Code 6 home uses photovoltaic roof panels and solar water heating, while Code 4 could be achieved with solar water heating only.