Greenest house in Britain has fuel bills of just £70 a year

A house under construction in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, is set to become Britain's most energy-efficient home, with fuel bills of just £70 a year.

The home's design is based on the German Passivhaus system, which relies on insulation, air-tightness and orientation towards the sun to cut its energy needs.

Warmth is generated from the sun, body heat and 'white goods'. A mechanical heat recovery system are used to maintain air quality.  

The design was created by the Green Building Store in Huddersfield, which is also managing the build process.

Project manager Bill Butcher told The Daily Mail: "You can buy a Passivhaus flat pack from  Germany, but the materials are completely different. They use a solid wall and stick polystyrene insulation on the outside of the house.

"They don't fit into the local streetscape here, builders aren't familiar with  them and planning can be an issue. This Passivhaus is the first to be built  using British construction methods with blockwork, a cavity wall and stone cladding.

"We use the Passivhaus principles and what's important is quality control and detailing on site. Everything has to be monitored from beginning to end to make sure there are no gaps."

The three-bedroom property is being built for Geoff and Kate Tunstall on a budget of £140,000, 15% more than a conventional house would have cost. The couple estimate it will reduce their fuel bills by 90%.

However, the house won't score highly on the Code for Sustainable Homes because it has no renewable features such as solar panels or ground heat pumps.