Multi-year research trial on decarbonizing owner-occupied homes with heat pumps.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) seeks a contractor to deliver Phase 3 of the Homes for Net Zero research programme, a multi-year large-scale trial building on an existing cohort of ~1,250 owner-occupied homes. The contractor will manage trial coordination, longitudinal monitoring, data collection, and participant engagement, including physical measurements and social research. The programme focuses on decarbonizing owner-occupied homes, particularly complex-to-decarbonise and space-constrained properties, evaluating heat pumps, alternative electric heating, and hot water solutions. It is divided into four lots: trial management (Lot 1), data analysis (Lot 2), consumer engagement and social research (Lot 3), and design/installation of low-carbon heating measures (Lot 4). Contractors must collaborate across lots and with DESNZ and linked programmes like BEAR and Heat Pump Ready. Outputs include annual reports, datasets, and policy-informing research briefs.