True Zero Carbon Challange

The aim of the competition is to design a home that not only produces more power than it uses over the year; through energy-efficient design, careful appliance selection, and photovoltaic integration. But also to consider & calculate embodied carbon in material selection, and to put on enough extra photovoltaic panels to pay back the home's entire carbon debt by 2050* (based on today’s carbon intensity)

Energy Uses   

Star Rating

code built house                      zero home 

35 MJ annually

6 star

-26 MJ annually    

8.7 star

So, this home actually off sets 11 Tonnes of CO2 annually,

and should pay back its carbon debt from the make up by 2039 (17 years) as opposed to the same sized  6 star house which contributes 5.83 Tonnes of CO2 annually without solar arrays. 

which is equivalent to planting 550 trees a year