4. Sero

Sero works in the residential housing sector, providing technology and services to enable housing providers to reduce their carbon footprint and to reduce the cost of energy for their residents or home buyers. Sero has two core products that solve the three major challenges in the Net Zero journey namely building the right technical plan or pathway using data and intelligence; engaging the resident in a simple home comfort service; and bringing innovative new delivery models that enable investment in energy efficiency and renewable energy systems.

596% GROWTH BETWEEN 2019 AND 2021

Origins

There’s an ongoing climate emergency, and homes comprise around 40% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions. The construction sector has tended to operate on historic methods and approaches that do not recognise their symbiotic relationship with the national energy grids. This existential need to tackle the climate emergency required urgent innovation to resolve the existing concerns about the cost, capacity and comfort impacts of decarbonising 27 million homes, whilst presenting opportunities to tackling existing construction challenges around quality, modelling accuracy and digitisation of systems.

Success Factor

Sero was born out of whole system thinking, breaking down the silos between housing, construction and energy. This has brought a level of innovation in delivering solutions that addressed the main barriers in Net Zero housing. The team at Sero has a broad range of experience and specialists necessary in addressing the ongoing energy and climate crisis. Sero is fortunate to have a team passionate about the mission. Since the company’s founding, the climate crisis has become ever increasingly a problem that public is getting behind. A lot has changed in the past few years, from climate lobby groups to legally binding government commitments. Housing is the one area of society where we can live more comfortably and affordably, rather than make sacrifices to the way we live. Sero has also worked very closely with its key strategic partners, some of which have worked with the business from day one - building good relationships with common values is essential in any start-up company and Sero is fortunate to still be working with them today.

The Future

There are 27 million homes in the UK and Sero plans to support as many as it can in this journey to Net Zero. Sero is currently working in the social housing sector and building new relationships within financial services - this will be a key area of growth following its Series A investment from Legal & General Capital and Hodge Bank in December 2021.