Original Tender Description
DESNZ is seeking to procure a contractor/s to deliver Phase 3 of the Homes for Net Zero research programme (HfNZ P3). This is a continuation of our multiyear, largescale research and demonstration trial, building on the existing cohort of approximately 1,250 owner-occupied homes. Among other tasks the appointed contractor(s) will be responsible for trial management and coordination, longitudinal monitoring, data collection and processing, and participant engagement – including physical measurements in homes and social research with occupants.
It will include research on practical, scalable pathways to decarbonising owner-occupied homes, particularly complex-to-decarbonise and space constrained properties, with a focus on low carbon heating. This includes evaluating the real-world performance, costs, and user experience of heat pumps (including reversible air-to-air systems), alternative electric heating and domestic hot water solutions. Consumer engagement approaches, and measures to improve resilience to a future climate, such as overheating mitigation, are also key elements of HfNZ P3.
The programme will require delivery through competitively procured work packages (lots);
• Lot 1: Trial management and co-ordination – including programme management of whole trial, collecting data from monitoring devices and ensuring high data quality, managing trial participants, supporting additional technology trials through an innovation test bed;
• Lot 2: Data analysis and research – including technical analysis of in-home monitoring data to answer the research questions, and collaboration with Lots 3 and 4 to ensure methods are designed to address those questions.
• Lot 3: Consumer engagement and social research – establishing best practice consumer engagement approaches to transition homes to low carbon heating and using these to support the delivery of measures in Lot 4, carrying out social research to support the research objectives in collaboration with Lot 2.
• Lot 4: Design and installation of low carbon heating measures in homes – including, air-source heat pumps, reversible air-air heat pumps, alternative approaches to electric domestic hot water in space constrained homes and the specification and installation of monitoring equipment.
Contractors will need to work collaboratively across the work packages as well as with DESNZ and possibly with linked programmes, notably Built Environment Adaptation and Resilience (BEAR) and Heat Pump Ready Programme (info here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/heat-pump-ready-programme/information-about-the-heat-pump-ready-programme#latest-opportunity-from-2026).
Outputs are likely to include regular, publicly accessible research publications; including two annual reports with research findings, an annual trial delivery summary, and publication of datasets (subject to GDPR). The programme will also deliver thematic research briefs and a final report at project completion, with outputs designed to directly inform DESNZ policy development and analysis on clean heat, energy efficiency, and climate resilience.
DESNZ is holding a supplier event on MS Teams on Wednesday 29th April 2026 from 1400 - 1600, consisting of presentations by DESNZ and interactive feedback sessions.