A zero-carbon home and guest house has opened for business.

A first for the Lewes area, Skyhouse Sussex sits on a hill above the Cuilfail tunnel linking the county town to the A27 bypass.

The two-storey eco property is powered by 32 solar panels and biomass energy, has an A+ energy rating and currently feeds back more electricity to the national grid than it consumes.

The ground floor of the house operates as Skyhouse Eco Chic Bed and Breakfast, run by Amy Burgess.

On making the decision to build Skyhouse Sussex, Ms Burgess said: “We found ourselves facing a very special moment in time where we had the good fortune to build a new home.

At the same time, we were poignantly aware of the emerging clean energy industry evolving at a rapid rate and wanted to jump in and be a part of this unique industry’s development.

“These things combined and led us to the mission of building a cutting edge energy efficient home.”

She said the learning curve for switching to clean energy involved contractors, tradespeople and even green experts. A collaboration between German eco construction company Baufritz and local Sussex contractors, the 250 sq m home is powered by wood pellet biomass and solar panels, and uses harvested rainwater for WCs, laundry and garden irrigation.

The main structure of the prefabricated building was constructed in five days last May using low carbon processes and sustainable materials.

The business offers guests “green living in luxury surroundings”, comprising three double bedrooms, a guest lounge and terrace, and is both pet-friendly and wheelchair accessible.

Ms Burgess, 59, established a successful US mentoring company before moving to Lewes four years ago. Her inspiration for building the eco house and green business in Sussex came in part from meeting Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop, in the US 20 years ago.

Ms Burgess added: “Ultimately, we hope our guests go home inspired by what they have seen here and brimming with green ideas for their house and garden.”

An official opening of Skyhouse at the end of March was attended by the mayor of Lewes, local councillors, renewable energy suppliers and representatives from Transition Town Lewes as well as Lib Dem politician Norman Baker.