Solar modules now rival roof tiles on cost, batteries keep falling, and councils finally have clearer rules. The opportunity isn’t future, it's here. Emma Fletcher of Octopus Energy shows how communities can turn PV, heat pumps and smart tariffs into predictable costs, including zero bills for many homes.
Treat each settlement like an island. Build a cross-skilled local team, survey demand, stack grants, and partner early. With roof-friendly design and orchestration, households can secure comfort, resilience and often zero bills, not by owning more kit, but by adopting service models that flex with the grid.
Because affordability and health drive adoption. Rural oil, leaky stock and bill anxiety won’t be solved by one-off gadgets. Service-led propositions (e.g., zero bills) turn complexity into a simple promise: predictable costs, warmer homes, lower carbon now, not 2030.
Emma describes a tariff that coordinates rooftop solar, a home battery and a heat pump against grid conditions so qualifying households see no electricity charge for a set period. In practice, zero bills bundles generation, storage and control; it fills the battery when power is green/cheap, serves the home, and exports value back.
Retrofit pilots show it can work in 170-year-old terraces and 1950s estates, with fair-use limits and EVs handled separately, proof that zero bills isn’t fantasy, it’s orchestration.
“If we treat every settlement like an island, the path becomes obvious.” - Emma Fletcher
Design the roof for energy, not just aesthetics, clean rectangles beat fussy hips for PV yield and install speed.
Organise locally: survey >50% interest, map grants, and bring a delivery partner via the council framework.
Treat finance and comfort as outcomes: predictable monthly costs, summer resilience, and healthier indoor conditions.
Don’t wait for “perfect tech.” Solar + battery are mature; heat pumps and heat networks are advancing; models like zero bills make benefits legible today.
Week 1–2: Build a mixed-skill team (organiser, comms, technical lead, grants writer).
Week 3–4: Run a fast opt-in survey; hold a town-hall; document roof types/EPCs.
Week 5–8: Assemble funding (regional Net Zero Hubs, LA pots, ECO/utility routes).
Week 9–12: Compare options (fabric+HP, shared heat, PV+battery service); soft-market test partners; set decision thresholds.
New-build buyers get predictability from day one; housing associations can protect residents; landlords can share value with tenants via solar-and-battery services. For developers, moving from token PV to full-roof systems plus storage can lift EPCs, cut running costs and differentiate sales without extra capex when coupled with zero bills.
Because the agreement sits with the property, each buyer can subscribe or purchase the system later, so the benefits persist while choice remains—avoiding the “who owns the kit?” friction that often blocks zero bills–style propositions.
The barrier isn’t technology; it’s ability - team, time, and a route through funding. Communities won’t be 100% aligned; that’s normal. Set fair-use expectations, coordinate M&E and legal early, and keep the story simple. Above all, remember that zero bills depends on good fabric, smart controls and straightforward roofs.
From first conversation to handover, we align design intent, commercial model and performance proof so value survives “value engineering.” We scope solar-first roof strategies, heat pathways, and community propositions; we structure funding stacks and verify outcomes. This is the kind of work we support at Darren Evans Ltd. If this resonates with your challenges, let’s talk.
The window is open: design simple roofs, organise locally, and use service models to make low-carbon living predictable for budgets, health and the climate.
