To achieve net-zero targets by 2050, energy efficiency has to be seen as a cornerstone of any transition to a decarbonised energy system. Efficiency measures support the drive to lower costs of transition by minimising the amount of energy required, reducing stress on the network, minimising customer bills and supporting more rapid adoption across the country. It is also necessary to support the UK in reducing energy consumption across its existing housing stock and to decarbonise networks.

Technologies that can help to improve the energy efficiency of a home or reduce the amount of gas or electricity that is necessary for daily activities can play an important role in achieving this goal. This depends on a greater understanding of future patterns of energy consumption that will be affected by the advent of new energy related technologies and the degree of their assimilation into new and existing UK housing stock. This large collaborative research project aimed to assess how innovative technologies performed in a range of different house types and how they were received by members of the public.

During the first stage of the project, a purpose-built test-site of nine demonstrator houses was constructed at the heart of the NGN Net Zero Research Village (NeRV) at Low Thornley in the northeast of England. This is the UK;s first combined whole-systems research, development, and demonstration facility that integrates gas, electricity, and water systems. There are five types of property, each built to original building standards and employing materials commonly used at that time, to fully reflect the building fabric and challenges that exist with buildings of each era. The property styles have been designed to be representative of UK housing stock from 1910 through to the modern day. Each house was equipped with sensors to monitor metrics such as temperature, humidity, gas, water, and electricity consumption, with approximately 500 sensors across the nine houses sending data back to a platform that can be accessed by the project partners.

Stage 2 involved the commission and installation of a set of diverse energy-efficiency related technologies. The EIC 'Energy Efficiency Challenge' invited vendors to showcase new and innovative ideas for inclusion within the project. Applications were shortlisted and then selected by members of the research team at National Energy Action (NEA) and Newcastle University, before their installation on site.

During this stage the energy efficiency solutions were evaluated in different housing types through a structured process based on controlled experimental conditions and subsequent data analysis. Assessment measured energy consumption, temperature and humidity, air tightness and thermal efficiency changes before and after installation of the technology under consideration, with data collected over set periods of time. Historical weather data was taken into account and cost calculations were performed using standard electricity and gas rates at the time of the study. Tests on three out of the seven technologies produced conclusive results (Appendices 1a, 1b, 1c). Tests for the other technologies were inconclusive for different reasons and the results could not be published. The challenges faced (e.g. limited testing and evaluation time due to construction delays and data integrity; or the absence of real-world occupancy factors in the houses (e.g., moisture, ventilation)) still offered valuable insights for future testing and experimentation.

Stage 3 featured two projects focused on the appeal of the technologies to end-users and potential factors that affect adoption, while two pieces of supplementary work extended this by considering user engagement with new technologies.

More specifically, the first project made use of the Futures Close site, inviting members of the public to experience the technologies that had been installed and spend time discussing their personal circumstances and feedback with the research team. The sample included people that can be considered vulnerable and non-vulnerable in an energy context. The research indicated that participants were initially concerned with practical considerations such as cost, return on investment and disruption, but that perceptions of the look and feel of the products had a greater bearing on appeal once the participants had experienced them in situ. Underpinning both sets of factors, however, uncertainty about new, unfamiliar and untested products remained a concern throughout the sessions, accentuating the challenges associated with risk, cost and disruption and, for most people, overriding the positive impact of the engagement process. The influence of the latter set of factors was more pronounced in the context of smart technologies. Participants categorised as vulnerable emphasised affordability, practical solutions for heat retention, and the importance of trust in products and companies, highlighting their heightened financial- and health-related concerns. Those categorised as non-vulnerable, though still conscious of costs and efficiency, placed greater weight on aesthetics and the longer-term convenience. A follow-up survey indicated increased awareness of new technology and a greater interest in ways to improve energy efficiency but any actions following the site visit were modest compared to the range of technologies on show at Futures Close.

The second project built upon this work by conducting a large-scale survey to test the relevance of the adoption factors identified in the exploratory work on site. It also considered smart technologies more broadly, assessing perceptions of their ability to perform various tasks in the home and the implications this has for autonomy, life satisfaction, and technology satisfaction. Both areas were further analysed to consider the relevance of financial, knowledge-and skill-related, and health-related constraints. The results indicated that intention to adopt depends on several factors: the perception that the technology provides sustainability benefits, the belief that it is worth the investment, the ability to observe its use by others, the minimal effort required for operation, its usefulness in optimising energy consumption, and its convenience. However, durability was not found to be a significant predictor. In addition, perceptions of smart technology fit to a task increase when home dwellers view the technology as a sustainable solution, a worthwhile investment, durable, useful for home-related tasks, beneficial to health, convenient, and easy to use. Further analysis indicated that vulnerabilities related to finance, knowledge and skills and health had varying impacts on the appeal and assessment of technologies.

The third piece of work focused on consumer experience and how users respond to and act upon energy consumption feedback. Through a qualitative study with 21 university students in the northeast of England, the study focused on how feedback as to the energy sources used and longitudinal data affects intentions for future behavioural change. Given that the students lived in accommodation in which energy bills were already included in their weekly rent and had no further incentive to save energy, it was possible to study potential behaviour changes in the absence of cost as a motivating factor. The findings suggested that, although sustainability was a concern for the students, they would be much more likely to adopt the technology when cost was once again a factor in their decision making. Moreover, the perceived need for energy use at certain levels and particular times of the day could not be challenged when sustainability was the only concern. Finally, the effectiveness of the feedback mechanism under any circumstances is contingent on a better understanding of the information that is being relayed to the user.

The fourth study focused on benefits realisation. Existing studies predominantly focus on the technical aspects of smart home systems, such as energy-saving capabilities and operational efficiencies. However, they seldom take into account user-centred outcomes or perceptions. Consequently, there is limited empirical evidence on whether smart home performance aligns with users' expectations regarding sustainability benefits. While users may anticipate substantial gains in sustainability, convenience and security, it remains unclear whether these expectations are consistently met. To this end, in order to understand whether prior expectation regarding the sustainability of smart home technology is confirmed, this study adopted a robust framework for examining the interplay between pre-adoption expectations and post-adoption experiences. This approach made it possible to establish that there is indeed a (mis)match in expectations and technology performance at a higher level.

The fourth and final stage of the project involved disseminating our findings to stakeholders. This was achieved in a number of ways, e.g. through a project dissemination event, practitioner presentations, academic conferences, journal publications and by making the reports available publicly.

Overall, the project offered a unique opportunity to approach technology adoption and user engagement, opening new avenues for research and practice. The Futures Close project allowed participants to learn about a range of new energy related technologies and experience them in the context of real life. Visiting the demonstrator site exposed participants to technologies that they were unfamiliar with, allowed them to see the technologies in operation and experience the look, feel and, in some cases, sound of the different technologies in a home environment. These three factors were found to be important aspects of successful customer engagement and can help with decision making. However, there were some limitations to the in-person visits, with logistical issues related to travel, cost, time, health and safety and the capacity of the site. One option to address these limitations is to move the experience online. Research suggests that greater exposure to smart home information, both online and offline, could enhance consumer willingness to engage with these technologies. An online platform could potentially address some of the limitations associated with the site visit and incorporate new features to create an interactive experience for larger numbers of people. This would build upon the valuable work carried out at Futures Close and open up new avenues for social research in this area.