A HOUSING development in Somerset is to become the first gas-free site built by the nation's largest housebuilder.
All 82 homes on Barratt Homes' new development in Nunney, near Frome, which launched for sale this month, will be fitted with air source heat pumps, a clean, highly efficient and emissions-free way of meeting a home's heating and hot water requirements.
Delamare Park will be the first Barratt development in the country to have no gas supply or connection on site in a move that will pave the way for all future developments by the housebuilder.
Air source heat pumps, which absorb heat from the outside air, will run both central heating and hot water systems in the homes, in place of gas-fired boilers.
Run on electricity, they can extract heat when the air temperature is as low as -15°C.
Barratt David Wilson Homes' south west managing director James Dunne was on site this week to oversee the installation of the air source heat pump pipework for the new show homes, which are expected to be complete and open for viewings in January 2022.
Mr Dunne said: "We are really excited to be the first team in our business to fit air source heat pumps in volume in new homes. They are clean and highly efficient with zero emissions and what's more they heat an entire home, including hot water.
"This is without doubt the way of the future and we are truly proud to be paving the way, not only for our business, but for the whole housebuilding industry.
"It seems fitting that such a historic site, which will soon be home to 82 stylish, high quality, contemporary homes, will again make history by helping to reduce climate change and protect the natural environment."
VIEWING: James Dunne, managing director of Barratt David Wilson Homes South West, left, and Neil Dipple, site manager of Delamare Park, Nunney, viewing where the new air source heat pumps will be installed
Named after Sir John de la Mare, a knight in the court of King Edward III who built nearby Nunney Castle in the 14th century, Delamare Park will offer a range of two, three, four and five-bedroom homes, including 25 affordable homes.
The development will also include over three acres of open space as well as measures to support local wildlife including the planting of 178 new trees, hedgehog highways and a five-metre ecological boundary, which will be preserved for nature.
Barratt Developments was the first major national housebuilder to set science-based targets and has committed to reduce direct carbon emissions by 29% by 2025.
Barratt Developments, parent company of Barratt Homes and David Wilson Homes, has also announced that it will achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions in its own operations by 2040 - becoming the first major housebuilder to make this commitment.
Nunney is located just off the A361 in between Frome and Shepton Mallet, in the Somerset countryside.
To find out more about the new homes or to register your interest, visit www.barratthomes.co.uk or call 0333 3558 490.
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