The housebuilder’s Queenswood development in Linlithgow has been carefully planned and designed to an A-grade energy performance certificate (EPC) rating across all of the private homes – in what is believed to be the first of its kind for the firm.

It means buyers at the 40-home Linlithgow development will benefit from reduced energy bills and the knowledge that their home is among the most sustainable on the market.  

In recent years CALA has placed a great emphasis on environmental efficiency, with most of its homes in Scotland built to at least a B-grading, requiring a score of 81-91 out of 100 across the home’s performance.

As of January 2021, the average EPC rating in Scotland is a D-grading. An EPC is required to sell or lease a home in the UK and assesses a building’s energy efficiency.

Tom Mitchell, technical director with CALA Homes (East), said: “We’re in the realm of the dedicated eco-homes here, created by specialist builders in very small numbers.

“All of our new homes across the country are built to be highly-efficient, and taking the decision to design and spec the homes at Queenswood to grade A EPC ratings is an exciting step forward. It is testament to the attention to detail of our design team and commitment as a business to sustainability.

“We’re dedicated to providing high specification homes to offer the ultimate contemporary living for our customers. Knowing that a home is built with sustainability in mind is a crucial part of that.”  

Designing homes to the grade A EPC rating at Queenswood saw CALA supplement many of its exemplar techniques and materials with the latest innovations on the market.

Throughout the homes, high quality double glazing, low energy lighting (inside and out), EV charging provision (which allows for easy installation of an electric vehicle charging point to all homes), to the insulation have all been carefully sourced on their green credentials.

Pivotal to the A-grade rating was the decision to install a modern energy-efficient hot water tank, which will help utilise maximum amounts of energy from PV/solar panels and comes as standard across all 40 homes, ensuring buyers benefit from decreased electricity use and reduced bills.

CALA launched Queenswood, which is on the eastern edge of the famed town in October with two five-bedroom showhomes, The Lowther and The Macrae.

Both showcase dedicated home offices, enhanced by fibre broadband connectivity available throughout to improve homeworking and reduce unnecessary commutes for those seeking to work from home longer term.