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Homes for net zero

Help shape the future of home heating and earn yourself some vouchers. You could be selected for energy-efficiency home improvements, and you don't have to receive benefits to qualify.

Apply online

Speak to an expert about your eligibility

Why do we need your help?

Hopefully, most people are now aware that there is a need to change the way we use energy in our homes to make them more energy-efficient and carbon-free. So, to make sure we’re on the right track, we’ve teamed up with Energy Systems Catapult, who run the Living Lab, a non-governmental, not-for-profit organisation that helps develop and accelerate innovation in the energy industry.

We want to make sure we’re providing energy-efficient home solutions that not only save on energy bills and keep you comfortably warm but will also help you learn more about your home and its path to net zero. Here's where you come in; you'll play an important role in the research to help co-create change that will propel the nation towards net zero. To make this research a success, we’d like you to monitor the energy you use in your home for a year. To help you do this, we’ll ask you to register with the Living Lab to set up your profile and link your smart meter to capture your energy use and data.* You could earn up to £100 in vouchers and a chance to get free carbon-reducing energy efficiency products.

If you'd like to take part and get free Tado room sensors and £30 worth of vouchers, you’ll need to register with Living Lab, link your smart meter (£20 voucher), and then complete the research (£10 voucher). Depending on how much you'd like to get involved you could reach a total of £100 in vouchers and energy efficiency products. This initiative is funded by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ).

What happens next

Complete the information we need to determine if you qualify for HFNZ without having to talk to the team, please apply now and complete our online form and we'll let you know if you qualify.

Apply now

Alternatively, speak to one of our experts

If you'd prefer, you can complete our questionnaire and we'll give you a call to talk you through our findings and see if you're suitable for the research.

Check your eligibility

How will my input make a difference?

Taking part in our research will help us make small changes that could lead to big steps towards Net Zero, impacting your community, society, and future generations.

Our research initiative will help you learn about your home’s journey to Net Zero. You'll share your opinions, concerns, and experiences, and your involvement will drive meaningful change.

By taking part in our research, you'll play a crucial role in crafting the road to Net Zero by helping us understand how energy is used and the solutions that will help us get there.

What else could you get for taking part?

On top of what we already said you'll get for your time, we'll provide you with a better understanding of your home and how to make it more energy efficient. You could also get one or more of the following energy efficiency products or surveys:

Not sure if you have solid or cavity walls?

If your house was built after the 1930s, it probably has cavity walls. Bricks are laid out on their long sides in a regular pattern. If your house was built before the 1930s, the walls are likely to be solid. The bricks will be laid out on their long and short sides.

If you have solid walls, this, along with other requirements, could make you suitable for the homes for net zero research.

We know how difficult it can be to live in a house with solid walls during the winter if it doesn't have enough insulation. This research will show us how to make homes more energy efficient and cheaper to heat. By taking part, you'll learn more about your home and the steps you need to take to start your journey to becoming net zero.

Cavity wall

Solid wall

What type of walls does your home have?

Image of a SMETS2 (second generation) smart meter

What type of smart meter do I have?

As previously mentioned, you'll need a SMETS2 (second generation) smart meter to ensure your suitability to get involved in this research. So, how do you know if you have one? Your meter will have been installed after 2018, and it will have a digital display and an additional communications device attached, like in the picture opposite.

If you're unsure, you can complete our questionnaire to register your interest, and we'll be able to let you know if you have the right kind of meter.

Handy FAQs

The most important questions answered

How will I get my vouchers?

Once you have successfully linked your smart meter to the Living Lab, and your profile is complete. You'll be sent a secure link to GiftPay, where you will be able to redeem your £20 voucher. You'll receive a further £10 once the research term of 12 months is complete.

What is a heat meter?

It’s a device that gets fitted to the pipes going in and out of your boiler, and it measures the energy you use to heat your home and hot water.

What is a boiler MOT or a boiler MOT+

A boiler MOT is a boiler service and a general health check to make sure that it's working efficiently.

A boiler MOT+ is a boiler service and general health check to make sure that it's working efficiently, and it includes radiator upgrades. We'll also perform a heat loss calculation and a flow temperature reduction to further optimise the boiler's performance and help you see what it's like to have a low-flow temperature heating system, ready for a future transition to a heat pump.

The legal stuff

Opportunity

This trial is being run by the Living Lab, part of Energy Systems Catapult (the Catapult), where, if you are an eligible participant, you may be accepted onto the trial.

If you wish to be part of this Living Lab trial, the Catapult requires that you do the following:

Connect your smart meters to the Living Lab for the duration of the trial.
Install up to 4 tado° temperature sensors, which we will provide.
Connect your tado° temperature sensors to the Living Lab, and identify which rooms they are in.
Keep your tado° temperature sensors connected for the duration of the trial.
Complete your Living Lab profile.
Complete a further questionnaire at the end of the trial.

The Catapult may also ask you to take part in some or all of the following activities:

Connect tado° smart thermostats to the Living Lab, and identify which rooms they are in.
Keep your tado° smart thermostats connected to the Living Lab for the duration of the trial.
Make minor changes to boiler or heating settings.
Have some, or all, of the improvements or monitoring equipment listed below installed.
Take part in some interviews, surveys, and workshops throughout the trial.

As part of the trial, we may also install the following monitoring equipment and improvements for you:

Tado° smart thermostats
Heat meters
Air quality sensors
Carbon Monoxide alarms
Loft insulation
Draught proofing

You consent to our installer arranging and completing the installation of the equipment.

You agree to take reasonable steps to maintain and/or safeguard the provided equipment and notify us promptly if you believe any equipment is damaged or not functioning correctly at: support@livinglab.energy

While taking part, you won’t be eligible to take part in any of our other Living Lab trials.

As part of the trial, we will need you to connect the following to the Living Lab:

Smart electricity and gas meters
tado° temperature sensors
tado° smart thermostats, if provided

We'd like you to keep these connected for the duration of the trial so we can collect the data as suggested below. If you wish to disconnect any of the equipment during the trial, please give us a week's notice before disconnecting, and you will be removed from the trial.

Failure to comply with any of the following activities or requests will result in you not receiving your final voucher payment:

Installing your tado° temperature sensors
Connecting your tado° temperature sensors to the Living Lab, and keeping them connected for the duration of the trial
Connecting your smart meters to the Living Lab, and keeping them connected for the duration of the trial

End of the Trial

At the end of the trial, all monitoring equipment provided is yours to keep. If there is any monitoring equipment you do not wish to keep after the trial, please let us know.

Leaving the Trial Early

We understand that circumstances can change. If you do wish to leave the trial early, you agree to inform the Living Lab within one month of becoming aware of the change, and before you receive any further home energy improvements or monitoring equipment.

If you have received any equipment as part of the trial, we will arrange for it to be removed

Who we are and who we are working with

The Living Lab, part of Energy Systems Catapult (the Catapult) is conducting this trial with our partners:

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ)

E.ON Energy

E.ON Energy’s approved installer

Energy Demand Observatory and Laboratory (EDOL) - made up of University College London (UCL) and the University of Oxford.

* Data we will collect and how we would like to use it

We will collect:

Energy consumption data
Energy consumption data for the 13 months prior to joining the trial
Temperature and humidity data

Depending on the equipment installed, we will collect:

Air quality data
Pipe flow temperature data
Boiler generated heat data

We will share your anonymised data with:

DESNZ

EDOL for the purposes of analysis and research

Depending on what equipment we provide you with, we will share your name, postal address, email address, and phone number with EON and tado° for the purposes of sending you equipment for the trial, arranging and completing installations and surveys, and link data collected by us to data collected by EON.

Consent

If you agree, the Energy Systems Catapult will keep your personal information secure for the duration of your membership in the Living Lab. Should you choose to leave the Living Lab, we will delete your personal data, and keep your anonymised data.

You may withdraw your consent at any time.

To do so please email: support@livinglab.energy.

Energy Systems Catapult remain committed to only using information about you in accordance with all relevant Data Protection legislation (including GDPR).