Local tenants have begun moving into a new generation of council homes in Woolwich, the first of 750 innovative new-builds among some of the greenest in the UK.

The new homes are the first to be built across the borough under the Greenwich Builds programme, and are so energy efficient they can be heated on as little as £1-a-day, and are capable of providing energy back to the grid.

Exceeding zero-carbon standards with an EPC rating well above A, the houses are decked out with solar panels and individual air source heat pumps.

They offer a glimpse into the future of social housing, and were actually built in a factory in Yorkshire using innovative modular construction before being transported down to south east London.

News Shopper:

The properties were then safely moved into place using a crane, and installed in Robert Street in Woolwich, with the first residents now moving in.

Among the new tenants are Laura and her husband Saulius, pictured on their moving in day.

Laura said she was "so happy and excited" to be moving in, and that "compared to her old place it's so much better, finally we have a home."

News Shopper:

Another of the new tenants described her new home as “a great improvement," stating that her "old place was too big for just me and my daughter.

"I am very impressed by the look of my new house, as I’ve never lived in a new-build before. My hopes are to take it a day at a time, get the house decorated room by room... I love it!”

The houses mark the completion of the pilot Greenwich Builds housing scheme at Lister Terrace in Woolwich.

In total, 750 new homes will be built across the borough under the scheme, and their awesome energy efficiency "reaffirms Greenwich Council's commitments to tackling both the housing crisis and the climate emergency."

News Shopper:

The council says that despite Covid-19, Lister Terrace was completed quickly, safely and with minimal disruption to neighbours thanks to the off-site construction.

The factory-built houses can boast an EPC rating well above the highest category of A, which represents just one percent of UK new builds (the average rating is D), making them the greenest in the country.

The development comes as Royal Borough of Greenwich, which recently declared a local climate emergency, laid bare in February the huge task ahead in meeting its carbon reduction targets.

The council estimates that its 21,000 homes are responsible for 20% of emissions in the borough, with the cost of retrofitting buildings to come close to the £1bn mark.

Royal Borough of Greenwich cabinet member, Anthony Okereke, added: “These high-quality and sustainable council homes are the first of 750 we’ll be delivering across the borough as part of our Greenwich Builds programme.

“It’s great to see new tenants moving into the first of many Greenwich Builds council homes, and to hear how the lives of our residents have improved as a result of what Royal Greenwich has been able to achieve.

"With nearly 750 more new homes to go we are looking forward to hearing many more of these good news stories in future, and to meeting them in person once lockdown has ended.”