Hub

South West Net Zero Hub

The South West Net Zero Hub provides free strategic and technical support to the public sector and communities to develop, finance and deliver Net Zero energy projects. Our aim is to increase the number, quality and scale of Net Zero energy projects being delivered across the South West.

Organisations we work with include local authorities, hospital trusts, universities, multi-academy trusts, community groups, and charitable trusts. Our current pipeline has around 78 projects with a combined value exceeding £848 million.

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E-learning

E-learning

Funding

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Case Study

LNZF: Decarbonising Heathfield Industrial Estate in Devon

Devon County Council piloted a decarbonisation study at Heathfield Industrial Estate to model pathways to Net Zero by 2050. Three intervention scenarios were modelled. Key measures include electrification through heat...

Provided by: South West Net Zero Hub

Case Study

LNZF: Solar PV on PFI sites in Cornwall

Cornwall Council commissioned legal advice to enable solar PV installations on council-owned schools and waste sites operating under Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contracts. The project also produced a generic legal...

Provided by: South West Net Zero Hub

Case Study

LNZF: Tailoring messaging to increase local interest in solar panels in North Somerset

North Somerset Council partnered with the Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE) to boost local uptake of solar PV through targeted engagement campaigns. The project identified areas with high solar potential...

Provided by: South West Net Zero Hub

Case Study

LNZF: Ground source heat pump exploration using boreholes at Brixham Harbour in Torbay

Torbay Council commissioned geological studies and a technical feasibility report to assess installing a ground source heat pump (GSHP) solution at Brixham Harbour, aiming to provide low-carbon heating and cooling,...

Provided by: South West Net Zero Hub

Case Study

LNZF: Decarbonisation of Mount Edgcumbe in Plymouth

Plymouth City Council commissioned an options appraisal to explore decarbonisation opportunities for Mount Edgcumbe House and Country Park, a Grade I listed landscape. The project focused on replacing two aging...

Provided by: South West Net Zero Hub

Case Study

LNZF: Using telematics data to inform EV rollout and fleet strategy in Wiltshire

Wiltshire Council hired a data analyst to interrogate the data collected by telematics devices installed on its fleet of vehicles, enabling them to look at how fleet vehicles are used...

Provided by: South West Net Zero Hub

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Local Net Zero Fund (LNZF)

The Local Net Zero Fund (LNZF), created by the South West Net Zero Hub, was a £1 million grant fund for local authorities to increase the number, scale, and quality of Net...

Provided by: South West Net Zero Hub

Case Study

Complex sites and local electricity supply

This project tests the feasibility of the ‘complex site’ approach to local electricity supply between renewable generators and consumers, using projects being developed by Southampton City Council and Bath and...

Provided by: South West Net Zero Hub

Case Study

Homewood Farm solar: Local supply scheme

Homewood Farm is a solar ground mount proposal with the potential to directly supply the local community with solar generated energy via a local supply scheme.

Provided by: South West Net Zero Hub

Case Study

National Marine Aquarium: Heat decarbonisation study

The project assessed the local heat source opportunities to determine the most appropriate alternative low-carbon heat source to replace existing natural gas systems for the National Marine Aquarium (NMA) and...

Provided by: South West Net Zero Hub

Case Study

The benefits of community energy

This video from the South West Net Zero Hub highlights – along with regional examples – the growing potential of community energy as a strategic tool for local authorities to...

Provided by: South West Net Zero Hub

Case Study

Solar PV canopy at New County Hall, Cornwall

Cornwall Council has installed a 230-kW solar PV canopy – the largest of its kind in Cornwall – in the visitors’ car park at New County Hall, Truro. The project...

Provided by: South West Net Zero Hub

Case Study

Energy from mines in South Gloucestershire

The South West Net Zero Hub commissioned a study of existing and projected heat and cooling demands near abandoned coal mines in South Gloucestershire/East Bristol. The report identified potential locations...

Provided by: South West Net Zero Hub

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LEAD webinar: Innovations in domestic retrofit advice – Power in partnerships: Collaboration and consortiums

This webinar shares learning from the Local Energy Advice Demonstrator (LEAD) programme. It focuses on how the retrofit sector can work together for better outcomes.

Provided by: South West Net Zero Hub

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LEAD webinar: Innovations in domestic retrofit advice – Retrofit as a service

This webinar focuses on how the community energy sector can work with the self-funding market and refine its offer to consumers. This webinar series was carried out as part of...

Provided by: South West Net Zero Hub

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LEAD webinar: Innovations in domestic retrofit advice – Retrofit, engagement, and communication

This webinar shares learning from the Local Energy Advice Demonstrator (LEAD) programme on how to engage and communicate retrofit advice to a wider audience.

Provided by: South West Net Zero Hub

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LEAD webinar: Innovations in domestic retrofit advice – Retrofit, planning, and historic housing

As part of the Local Energy Advice Demonstrator (LEAD) programme, this webinar focuses on how to support homeowners in historic or hard-to-treat homes to implement retrofit measures and navigate planning...

Provided by: South West Net Zero Hub

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LEAD presentation: Designing the retrofit customer journey

This set of PowerPoint slides is one of three created within the Local Energy Advice Demonstrator (LEAD) project. It comes with notes that provide a suggested script or prompts to...

Provided by: South West Net Zero Hub

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LEAD presentation: Audience segmentation

This set of PowerPoint slides is one of three created within the Local Energy Advice Demonstrator (LEAD) project. It comes with notes that provide a suggested script or prompts to...

Provided by: South West Net Zero Hub

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LEAD presentation: Traditional building retrofit

This set of PowerPoint slides is one of three created within the Local Energy Advice Demonstrator (LEAD) project. It comes with notes that provide a suggested script or prompts to...

Provided by: South West Net Zero Hub

Case Study

LEAD project summary: Green Open Homes West

Supporting Green Open Homes and Not-Yet-Green Open Homes events in the West of England, and self-led home energy surveys for young people.

Provided by: South West Net Zero Hub

Case Study

LEAD project summary: Futureproof Wiltshire

Delivering home energy retrofit surveys to households in Swindon and Wiltshire, free advice at events, and training and mentoring for local groups to give advice in their communities.

Provided by: South West Net Zero Hub

Case Study

LEAD project summary: Far South West Retrofit

Providing home visits and Whole House Plans to underserved households through an ambitious regional partnership enabling hyper-local advice across Cornwall and Devon.

Provided by: South West Net Zero Hub

Collection

LEAD programme: Local Energy Advice Demonstrator

This competition provided grant support to projects to trial new and innovative approaches to delivering in-person energy efficiency and clean heating advice at a local level.

Provided by: South West Net Zero Hub

Collection

LEAD webinars: Innovations in domestic retrofit advice

Watch the webinar series ‘Innovations in Domestic Retrofit’ for case studies and learning from the LEAD projects.

Provided by: South West Net Zero Hub

Collection

LEAD method summaries

Through the six LEAD projects carried out by the South West Net Zero Hub, several methods were identified for delivering in-person local energy and retrofit advice to hard-to-reach groups and...

Provided by: South West Net Zero Hub

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LEAD Toolkit by the South West Net Zero Hub

The LEAD toolkit is a shared resource for local authorities, community groups, and advice organisations, providing best practices for offering in-person local energy and retrofit advice to hard-to-reach groups and hard-to-treat...

Provided by: South West Net Zero Hub

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LEAD method summary: Not-Yet-Green Open Homes

Using real-life examples in the community of retrofitted homes (Green Open Homes) or homes that are not yet, or only partially, retrofitted (Not-Yet-Green Open Homes).

Provided by: South West Net Zero Hub

Case Study

LEAD project summary: EnergyWise

Providing advice to older people and families living with disadvantage and low incomes, and helping them access grants and retrofit services, across Southampton and the Isle of Wight.

Provided by: South West Net Zero Hub

Case Study

LEAD project summary: Accelerate

Delivering a Home Energy Survey service in Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire, with particular focus on landlords and driven by an effective marketing campaign.

Provided by: South West Net Zero Hub

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LEAD method summary: Community champions

Recruiting volunteers willing to share experiences and provide information and advice to their own networks, to help others build confidence in retrofit.

Provided by: South West Net Zero Hub

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LEAD method summary: Community outreach

Providing easy resources for self-led home energy surveys, helping young people become ‘energy detectives’ and influence energy use in their homes.

Provided by: South West Net Zero Hub

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LEAD method summary: Level 0 listed building consent pre-application advice

Providing householders in listed buildings with early-stage advice from a Conservation Officer trained in retrofit for traditional buildings.

Provided by: South West Net Zero Hub

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LEAD method summary: Expert Q&A

Giving householders the opportunity to ask questions of experts in a group setting.

Provided by: South West Net Zero Hub

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LEAD method summary: Home visits

Visiting people in their homes to better understand their circumstances and provide face-to-face advice.

Provided by: South West Net Zero Hub

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LEAD method summary: Multi-stage advice

Supporting householders along their retrofit journey, from initial engagement and advice all the way to post-installation support.

Provided by: South West Net Zero Hub

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LEAD method summary: Visual and data tools

Using visual tools and real data, householders can better understand how their home is performing and be motivated towards retrofit.

Provided by: South West Net Zero Hub

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LEAD method summary: Youth Action At Home

Providing easy resources for self-led home energy surveys, helping young people become ‘energy detectives’ and influence energy use in their homes.

Provided by: South West Net Zero Hub

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LEAD method summary: Training professionals and communities in retrofit advice

Upskilling people working professionally and in the community to ensure better outcomes for retrofit.

Provided by: South West Net Zero Hub

Case Study

LEAD project summary: Green Heritage Homes

Increasing rates of retrofit in listed buildings by developing confidence and understanding among homeowners and buildings professionals, showcasing positive examples in Bath & North East Somerset.

Provided by: South West Net Zero Hub

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LEAD guide: Getting started in retrofit advice

This guide is intended to help shape domestic retrofit services for local authorities and community groups, drawing on learnings from the LEAD projects in the South West (2023-2025).

Experience level: Foundation

Provided by: South West Net Zero Hub

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LEAD report: The LEAD National Conference

Held on 1st April 2025 in Birmingham, the purpose of this event was to bring together LEAD project partners with the Hubs and DESNZ to share experiences and knowledge as...

Provided by: South West Net Zero Hub

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Webinar series: Innovations in domestic retrofit advice

A series of webinars to share the learnings of the Local Energy Advice (LEAD) programme run by the South West Net Zero Hub.

Provided by: South West Net Zero Hub

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Webinar series: 5i Heat Network Project workshops (videos)

A series of webinars for local authorities in the South West focusing on heat networks. The webinars explore key aspects that drive heat network development and delivery and are organised...

Experience level: Foundation

Provided by: South West Net Zero Hub

Resource

Business Model: Synthetic PPA

Synthetic PPAs decouple the physical flow of electricity from the financial flow.

Provided by: South West Net Zero Hub

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Synthetic PPA toolkit for local authorities

The use of Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) for local authority electricity purchasing (and in particular from community energy organisations) has been a goal for some time. This report provides a...

Provided by: South West Net Zero Hub

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Net Zero Hubs: Local Energy Guide

This guide explains the role of the local Net Zero hubs that have been established in each region of England and how they will support public, private, and community organisations...

Provided by: South West Net Zero Hub

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South West Net Zero Hub: Details of funding and finance opportunities for Net Zero and renewable energy projects

Details of funding and finance opportunities for Net Zero and renewable energy projects.

Provided by: South West Net Zero Hub