Public Funding for Planarific Ltd

Let Zero is a project designed to help UK local authorities tackle the issue of poor housing conditions in the Private Rented Sector (PRS), including damp and mould and high carbon emissions. The project will develop an AI-enabled end-to-end solution incorporating an easily-accessible 'One-stop Shop' to support private landlords (especially in fuel-poor areas) in upgrading their properties. Powered by an 'optioneering tool' and integrated local supply chains for retrofit, landlords will have a 'trusted path' tailored to the needs of the property and its occupants. It will provide landlords with: * A trusted support service * A clear pathway to action based on quantified retrofit options * Support accessing grants and finance This will be achieved through the integration of a suite of innovative solutions brought by project partners: * Rapid analysis and characterisation of specific building requirements. * Better cost and energy saving estimations enabled by AI and building geometry data. * Response to design concerns such as space standards for tenants and accessibility using AI. * Innovative retrofit solutions deliverable via local supply chains, tailored to local needs. * Retrofit grant aggregator and new green finance solutions. The project will develop a proof-of-concept PRS One-stop Shop by: * Assessing the needs of landlords and tenants. * Initiating a 200 home renovation programme in South Yorkshire to generate data and learning on retrofit approaches, costs, challenges and performance. * Categorising homes according to building type. Survey and generate 3D models for selected properties. * Developing an AI tool that uses learning from properties in use, solution costs and needs of landlords and tenants to identify and design optimum solutions for retrofit. * Delivering innovation within supply chains, including creating innovative products and developing local installation capability. * Integrating grant funding and finance advice. The One-stop Shop will initially be deployed in South Yorkshire (not-for-profit business model) but designed to be replicated across the UK, tailored to specific needs and local housing types. It will drive growth, innovation and revenue in local supply chains. The 18-month project will be led by South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority, supported by a consortium with expertise in needs of landlords and tenants, provision of advice and guidance, data collation and analysis, optioneering, AI-generated retrofit design, together with manufacturers and installers from retrofit supply chains. This replicable and scalable solution will create commercial opportunities for solution providers as well as benefits to landlords and tenants across the UK, especially in fuel-poor areas, to facilitate a just transition to net-zero.

"Transform-ER" (Transform. Engage. Retrofit) brings together an experienced and diverse consortium to tackle multiple barriers to retrofitting homes. The vast majority of the UK's existing housing stock will still be present by 2050 and therefore must comply with Net Zero 2050 legislative objectives. The current retrofit market in the UK has insufficient depth of capacity and breadth of capability to satisfy the need of retrofitting over 1 million homes per year, to achieve this. Hence a transformational approach is required, which will leverage the best aggregated learning from multiple, key stakeholder representatives (the consortia), a plethora of prior projects, and an enhanced level of coordination and structure. In tandem, Transform-ER will embrace the migration towards offsite construction, the adoption of Modern Methods and take the best learning from other manufacturing-led sectors to apply to the retrofit market. The project will realise systemic change to enable rapid deployment of high quality retrofit solutions, targeting delivery of 1m homes per year by 2030\. Transform-ER adopts the Product Platform Rulebook's 'Demand, Develop, Deploy' structure to envisage our future retrofit system. Efforts across each of these work packages will come together, creating the following benefits: * Better data on portfolios and projects, reducing risk and enabling visibility of pipelines * Clear interoperability rules for new products, enabling kits of parts to be brought together * Routes to market for existing and new verified solutions, with a streamlined and simplified accreditation route * A product database and procurement platform, which uses data to create a competitive market place for offsite products alongside traditional * A new approach to contracting for delivery, based on the Heathrow Terminal 5 model, which incentivises collaboration to achieve completion on time and to budget, through innovative profit structure. * A culture change programme which enables organisations to adopt a more collaborative approach. * A finance and insurance supported vehicle for delivery of retrofit. All of the new approaches will be underpinned by an end-to-end data platform, enabled by a set of guidelines to enhance the structure, control and consistency of retrofit delivery, in association with a fair and equitable market vehicle - a Community Interest Company. A Retrofit Rulebook will be developed which will write up the activities in the project as case studies, and set out clear guidance for other industry actors, and those wishing to join the retrofit revolution.