Persimmon goes green with its new home as it seeks to rebuild its reputation in the wake fat cat pay scandal
Britain’s most profitable housebuilder has revealed plans to go green as it rebuilds its reputation in the wake of a pay scandal.
Persimmon, which prompted outrage by handing former boss Jeff Fairburn £82million in bonuses, is set to trial a zero-carbon home for the first time next year.
The experiment will see a volunteer family live inside its eco-friendly property for two years to see whether it is practical.
Housebuilder Persimmon, which prompted outrage by handing former boss Jeff Fairburn £82million in bonuses, is set to trial a zero-carbon home for the first time next year
The builder claims the detached, three-bedroom house is different to those tried by other firms because it uses a largely traditional design that has been altered to include the latest technologies such as solar panels, water recycling, air-tight insulation and ventilation systems that retain heat.
The Government wants to speed up the introduction of tough environmental standards for new homes.
And Simon Usher, a regional director who leads Persimmon’s climate change task force, told the Mail: ‘What we have asked is, if we were trying to build one of our current homes how difficult would it be to achieve the zero carbon standard?
‘We think we have now managed to reach that point and this experiment will give us a baseline against our current homes.
‘We will put a family in there and have an agreement for them to let us monitor what they do and there will be all sorts of sensors on the house,’ he said.
Persimmon is trying to rehabilitate its image following criticism over shoddily-built homes and huge bonuses, prompting the departure of former boss Fairburn in 2018.