Household energy use accounts for 26% of global CO2 emissions. It’s critical we decarbonize our home energy systems to reach net zero by 2050.
Challenge
An estimated 6.32 million households in England currently live in fuel poverty. As we enter a global cost of living crisis, this number is expected to rise 35% to 8.5 million by the end of 2022.
In 2020, the government introduced a £2bn Green Homes Grant to accelerate the process of retrofitting the UK's 29 million housing stock.
The funding was distributed through the UKRI's Modernising Energy Data Access project competition, which looked for projects that directly addressed the challenges involved in delivering net-zero energy systems to UK homes.
Approach
As winners of the UKRI’s MEDA project competition, UrbanTide is playing a key role in the drive to tackle fuel poverty in the UK.
For the very first time, uZero is combining anonymised UK-wide smart meter system data with multiple cross-sector datasets to provide brand new intelligence on fuel poverty risk identification.
By combining data from the energy sector with other sector data and using advanced machine learning, we're able to easily identify target areas that would benefit most from energy-efficient measures and propose an intervention approach that focuses on promoting energy reduction.
Results
8.5m
The number of households predicted to be in fuel poverty by the end of 2022.
1bn+
The number of cross-sector data points that are integrated through uZero.
£3bn
The average spend per year on policies to tackle fuel poverty.
Using data and sophisticated AI solutions, we can accelerate retrofitting homes, tackle fuel poverty and reduce household CO2 simultaneously.
Our partnership and shared vision
With uZero, we're delivering a data-driven innovation tool that will help organisations map, identify and predict fuel poverty through the integration of novel and previously-unused data.
Our vision with uZero is to become an integral and fully scalable data tool that will provide the government with reliable energy data to inform strategy on how to tackle the fuel poverty crisis.
Using data and AI, we can protect the most vulnerable households in the UK from fuel poverty.
About the MEDA consortium
The uZero MEDA consortium is a unique multidisciplinary team of energy and data experts with world-leading capability to deliver innovative solutions.
As consortium leaders, UrbanTide has built project partnerships with the Data Communications Company, UCL Academic Consultants, Greater South East Energy Hub, Connected Places Catapult and Scottish and Southern Energy Networks.
Together, we are solving large-scale real-world challenges with data and AI.
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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Start your journey
Take a look at our product page to find out which UrbanTide AI tool has been designed for your needs.
Find out how we can support your data and AI projects and see our growing AI portfolio in action.
