Focus on Net Zero
DECARBONISATION A REALITY CHECK
We face a significant challenge ahead of us, the pathway to decarbonisation is complex, uncertain and requires a multitude of solutions.
NeRV is the UK’s first combined whole systems research and
demonstration facility that’s been designed to inform, shape
and accelerate whole system approaches to decarbonisation.
Through providing a space for collaborative innovative research and testing, NeRV will optimise low carbon, least cost decarbonisation
solutions for UK households. It brings together innovators, policy advisors, utility operators and research teams to develop options for clean
energy across heat, power, water, connectivity and transport.
At NeRV we recognise:
We need to decarbonise around 25 million homes in England to hit net zero by 2050
The UK has the most diverse housing stock (35% built before the end of WWII)
A ‘whole house’ approach is required. Consideration must be given to building fabric and heating system
Fuel poverty is at its
highest level.
How do we secure
equity for all in low
carbon transition?
The intricacies of deployment and installation
of retrofit measures are complex.
The facility’s unique feature is its street of nine properties constructed from different building eras, from the 1910s to the 1990s. The homes
are a highly instrumented innovation and test environment. Each home contains sensors capturing metrics such as temperature, humidity,
gas, water and electricity consumption, generating data to help shape and inform future decarbonisation strategies for UK housing stock. It
provides a perfect testbed for retrofit net zero technology, to understand the challenges involved at scale and in real time, while delivering
data-driven answers on the energy solutions best suited to different types of home.
What we’ve built at NeRV:
1
Detached House
1990’s
2
Low Rise Flats
Late 1960’s / Early 1970’s
1
Bungalow
1950’s
2
Semi-Detached Houses
1930’s
3
Terrace Houses
1910’s