As the UK strives to meet its ambitious net zero targets, local authorities and community leaders are increasingly turning to neighbourhood-scale initiatives to drive change. At City Science, we’ve been at the forefront of these efforts, piloting innovative approaches to create sustainable, energy-efficient communities. Today, we’re sharing key learnings from two of our recent Heat Pump Ready projects: the Home Efficiency Hub in Cherwell, Oxfordshire and the Heat Pumps for Friday Bridge initiative in Cambridgeshire.
- Leveraging Local Partnerships
Delivery of hyper-local schemes necessitates collaboration with local stakeholders and the leveraging of local knowledge. In Cherwell, we established partnerships with Oxfordshire County Council and Contractor’s Carbon Rewind to promote sustainable practices and technologies within neighborhoods, however adopted a “private sector” look and feel to our approach. In contrast, the Friday Bridge project saw us working closely with Cambridgeshire County Council, Fenland District Council, and local installers Macbrook, embedding with existing council websites.
Key Learning: Local authority endorsement is believed to have provided a significant boost to trust and awareness among residents compared to a private sector approach.
- Data-Driven Decision Making
Delivering of a hyper-local, street-by-street approach necessitated very precise planning and detailed data. In both projects, we leveraged data analysis to optimise our approach. This included identifying optimal locations for retrofit and heat pumps and using a CRM system in Friday Bridge to track visits and customer status, enabling targeted follow-ups. Going forward, we would also recommend even greater levels of demographic analysis as underlying geo-demographics were also believed to have had a significant impact on uptake likelihood.
Key Learning: Data-driven strategies allow for more efficient resource allocation, grid-planning and personalised customer journeys. The latest demographic research should be incorporated to maximise the likelihood of engagement.
- Streamlining Processes
There are two key reasons why processes need to be streamlined in design, and then continuously throughout any retrofit programme. Firstly, user-centred design is essential to ensure a smooth customer journey so that customer friction is minimised. For example, in Cherwell, we designed end-to-end customer journeys across all phases, from initial awareness to installation and maintenance. Secondly, processes need to be streamlined to reduce costs as much as possible to maximise the viability of the service.
Key Learning: A streamlined, ‘one-stop-shop’ approach reduces barriers to adoption, improves the overall customer experience and can reduce costs overall.
- Innovative Financing Solutions
One of the major barriers to undertaking retrofit and adopting new technologies like heat pumps is the upfront cost. In Cherwell, we integrated a unique financing model in collaboration with Hiber finance to provide point-of-sale finance for consumers.
Key Learning: Offering flexible, accessible financing options can reduce friction in the adoption of energy-efficient technologies, but need to be appropriate and tailored to the target market.
- Grid Integration Considerations
Both projects highlighted the importance of considering grid capacity constraints in advance and throughout project coordination. In Cherwell, we collaborated with local authorities and utilities to streamline processes for grid connection applications.
Key Learning: Early engagement with grid operators is crucial for successful integration of heat pumps and renewable energy systems.
- Tailoring Approaches to Local Contexts
While both projects shared similar goals, they required tailored approaches. The rural setting of Friday Bridge, for instance, necessitated different engagement strategies compared to Cherwell.
Key Learning: There is no one-size-fits-all approach to creating net zero neighbourhoods. Each community is different and so strategies must be adapted to local contexts and community needs.
- The Power of Community Engagement
Both pilots underscored the critical importance of robust community engagement strategies when targeting individual streets or neighbourhoods. In Cherwell, we implemented a tailored approach emphasising awareness, education, and trust-building activities. This included workshops, demonstrations, and targeted marketing campaigns. We employed a dedicated Community Engagement Officer in both areas to build initial awareness and gather local insights.
While these trials were insightful in helping to understand how best to galvanise community action where a local approach is necessitated, the cost of hyper-local customer acquisition should be carefully considered. Engineering down customer acquisition costs in local approaches is critical if we are to make services viable overall. Given current levels of organic demand from customers, hyper-local approaches are likely to have higher customer acquisition costs than less targeted campaigns.
Key Learning: A multi-faceted engagement approach, combining digital platforms with in-person interactions, proved most effective in driving community participation. However. digital, less intensive marketing options, covering a wider area are likely to offer reduced customer acquisition costs. Getting customer acquisition costs right is likely to be essential to ensure services are viable given current levels of consumer demand.
Conclusion
These pilot projects have provided invaluable insights into the challenges and opportunities of creating net zero neighbourhoods. They’ve demonstrated that success hinges on a combination of community engagement, local partnerships, innovative financing, data-driven decision-making, and streamlined processes.
As we continue to refine our Net Zero Partnerships offering, these learnings will inform our approach to hyper-local retrofit strategies, helping local authorities across the UK accelerate their transition to sustainable, energy-efficient communities. The path to net zero is complex, but by working together and learning key lessons from pilots, we’re making significant strides towards a more sustainable future. Ready to start your community’s net zero journey? Contact City Science today to learn how our Net Zero Partnerships can help you create sustainable, thriving neighbourhoods.