The Welsh government has committed to investing £250m towards low carbon homes for rent in 2021/22, with a view to delivering up to 20,000 units.

The Welsh government says that its rather ambitious plans will address a growing demand for housing and the climate crisis, providing much-welcomed affordable green homes.

All new properties will be built to bold new quality and environmental standards with the aim for some of the stock to go beyond net zero and produce more energy than they use. A further announcement on this is expected within the next few weeks.

Visiting one of Wales’ first ‘positive energy’ social housing schemes this week, the minister for climate change who is responsible for housing, Julie James, said Wales & West Housing’s Rhiw Cefn Gwlad scheme in Bridgend was ‘an exemplar’ for developers, housing associations and councils to follow.

The 14 home development has made use of the latest technical innovations in renewable energy, from exhaust air heat pumps integrated with mechanical ventilation, to large solar photovoltaic roof systems coupled with a Tesla battery system.

The residents who moved in in January this year, received their first negative energy bill in March, meaning the excess energy their homes have generated has already been pumped back into the national grid.

The Minister said: “Hearing how much Cai, Allyn and other residents have been saving on their household bills today, and the difference their new, high quality home has made to their wellbeing, reinforces my confidence that our ambitious housing plan is going to make a real difference to the people of Wales.

“We have doubled our money – committing a quarter of a billion pounds this financial year, so we can get on and build 20,000 new low carbon homes for rent.

“This goes beyond Welsh housing need estimates.

“We are building at scale to address the supply and demand imbalance, homelessness, the growing second homes crisis, and the climate emergency. We are building high quality homes to make a difference to people’s quality of living. And we are ensuring the decisions we make today are the right ones for our future generations.”