Stephen George + Partners was appointed by Will Antill of Holmes-Antill, Planning Consultants, to design Leicestershire’s first carbon neutral house, which is situated on the site of the old library in the centre of Mountsorrel.

The innovative and contemporary 121 sqm (1,300 sqft), two storey, two bedroom family home has achieved a Level 6 rating, the highest standard attainable within the Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH), a world leading measure of sustainability. The Code covers a number of criteria with principal consideration given to energy use and CO2 emissions, conservation of water, health and well being and added ecological value.

Completed in April 2010, it is one of the first properties across the UK to have achieved a CSH Level 6 rating, a government target set to be mandatory by 2016.

Renewable features include:

A timber frame construction providing a super-insulated, airtight envelope

Ground source heat pump to provide hot water and heating

Photo-voltaic cells to provide electricity and export surplus back to the grid

Rainwater harvesting to collect, store and re-circulate rainwater through the washing machine and toilets

Solar water heating panels to support water heating from the ground source heat pump

MVHR (Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery) to extract warm moist air from the wet areas of the house and provide fresh air to the living quarters