Housing association and housebuilder Curo are on track to delivering the first ultra energy efficient homes in Bath & North East Somerset this autumn.

Curo are building four Passivhaus-certified houses at their 700-home Mulberry Park development in Combe Down, Bath. The three-bedroom homes will be let at social rent to local families on B&NES Council's waiting list.

Featuring Mechanical Ventilation and Heat Recovery (MVHR) systems, high levels of insulation and triple glazed windows, Passivhaus homes provide excellent comfort in both winter and summer, while consuming very little energy compared to standard housing. With minimal changes to day-to-day life, occupiers can significantly reduce their carbon footprint and lower energy costs by up to 90%.

Curo Chief Executive, Victor da Cunha, says: "We're excited to be nearing completion of our first ever Passivhaus homes - the first of their kind in the area. These homes will deliver huge benefits for our residents who will enjoy much lower heating bills, better year-round comfort and indoor air quality.

"We're keen to learn from our customers about the day-to-day operation and real-life performance of the homes so we can further improve and finesse our future Passivhaus buildings.

"As we look to a more sustainable future, we want to play our role in building 'greener', high quality homes that can help to achieve climate targets, as well as put an end to issues such as fuel poverty. This small pilot scheme underlines our commitment to sustainable development; large scale change doesn't happen overnight and I am proud that, as a housing association, Curo is the first in B&NES to achieve Passivhaus certification for energy efficient homes."

Residents are expected to move in to the new homes this September. Over the next couple of years, Curo will build eight more Passivhaus-certified homes at Mulberry Park, which will be sold on the open market.