Rising energy costs are pushing an estimated 1 in 4 UK households into fuel poverty. We need a scalable way of targeting and deploying energy-efficient investments to households in fuel poverty.
Challenge
To tackle the national fuel poverty crisis, the Greater South East Net Zero Hub (GSENZH) is rolling out critical energy support to thousands of households across the South of England using an £82 million Government-funded Home Upgrade Grant, awarded in 2023.
But with so many households in need of support, they needed an innovative data insights solution that would help them identify and prioritise the households that need their support most.
Approach
GSENZH are using UrbanTides AI-powered data insights platform, uZero, to map and identify high-risk fuel-poor households across the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough local authorities.
By integrating anonymised real-time smart meter system data with multiple cross-sector datasets, uZero is able to present fuel poverty area mapping that GSENZH can use to deliver energy support in a highly targeted way.
Results
£82m
The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough combined local authority have been awarded £82,313,888 to tackle the energy crisis.
<1%
Prior to using uZero, GSENZH would expect less than 1% response rate on energy-efficiency campaigns.
+34%
Since using uZero, the hub is seeing a response rate of between 7-34%, suggesting campaigns are reaching the right households at the right time.
Mapping out local smart meter and cross-sector datasets in real-time allows GSENZH to provide targeted support to the households most heavily impacted by fuel poverty.
Our partnership and shared vision
GSENZH is the first Net Zero Hub in the UK to be using uZero. One year into our partnership, and the results are extremely encouraging.
In the near future, we’ll be looking at connecting fuel poverty data with health data in order to map social regeneration and improvements in population health as a result of GSENZH's energy-efficiency campaign.
Together, we’re taking strides to accelerate the UK's transition to net zero.
About the Greater South East Net Zero Hub
The Greater South East Net Zero Hub is a collaboration of 11 Local Enterprise Partners (LEPs). As a collective, the GSENZH aims to accelerate the transition to a net-zero carbon economy in the Greater South East region of England.
By bringing together key stakeholders from various sectors, including government bodies, businesses, academia, and communities, the GSENZH is working towards a shared goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions.
Sustainable Development Goals
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future.
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