Net Zero Energy (E=0) means that a house will not consume more energy for heating, hot water, lighting and appliances annually than it produces. The refurbishments to houses that are required to bring them to E=0 levels are funded by the energy savings generated and are executed within ten days with a 30-year energy performance warranty being supplied by the builder.
The approach is based on massive demand for an E=0 refurbishment proposition aimed at making finance organisations and governments tune their products and policies towards Net Zero Energy and challenging the construction sector to begin an ambitious innovation process to deliver the proposition. The massive demand for Net Zero Refurbishment along with security for financing and an enabling regulatory environment de-risks the innovation investment for builders.
Energiesprong and 10 other organisations plus 17 social housing providers across France, the UK and The Netherlands are part of a consortium that has already made a bid for EU funding for a cross-country programme aimed at making E=0 refurbishments a market reality. This has stimulated an innovation trajectory to be facilitated in the UK and France incorporating two ambitious deals of 100,000 houses in each of the two countries. However, in order to move these propositions forward the market conditions need to be right so that the innovation process in the construction sector can begin. A new and independent market development team, Transition Zero, has therefore been established to drive and coordinate the development the required market solution.
The consortium is now working with a variety of partners and supporters including national governments and agencies, key financiers in the social housing sector of all three countries and European national umbrella organisations involved in social housing.
The decision on funding is expected in November.
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