Accelerating Net Zero in the Real World: Community-First Marketing for a Heat Pump Adoption Project
Case study: Heat Pumps for Friday Bridge
Heat Pumps for Friday Bridge was a heat pump retrofit trial in Cambridgeshire, designed to test high-density uptake of low-carbon tech as part of the government's Heat Pump Ready programme.
Growth Guides supported client City Science with branding, engagement, UX, and digital journey design, helping reach thousands of residents and generate practical insights for future retrofit programmes.
The challenge
Heat Pumps for Friday Bridge was part of the Heat Pump Ready programme — a national innovation fund from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. The trial tested new ways to accelerate heat pump uptake, with this pilot focused on a rural community in Cambridgeshire.
Delivered under the existing Action on Energy brand (a Cambridgeshire County Council initiative), the service offered residents free Home Energy Plans, tailored support, and access to low-carbon technologies including heat pumps, solar PV and battery storage.
Growth Guides were responsible for all marketing and engagement activity — from strategy and branding to digital delivery and comms rollout. We helped shape how the offer was presented, how residents moved through the process, and how insights from the work were captured and shared. We also supported internal coordination across delivery partners, including Cambridgeshire County Council and Fenland District Council, whose differing requirements added complexity throughout.
Our Role
We were brought in to lead all aspects of marketing and engagement — from strategy through to day-to-day delivery.
Our remit included:
- Creating the communications strategy and full resident journey
- Designing and delivering all campaign content and materials
- Building a custom CRM and integrated resident portal to manage sign-ups and support delivery
- Adapting the Action on Energy brand for this localised, time-limited offer
- Providing ongoing insight, iteration and reporting for the project team and DESNZ
Because no materials or comms existed at the outset, we developed everything from scratch — then tested, refined and improved it in real time as the trial progressed. The scope was wide, fast-moving and often required hands-on problem-solving to keep delivery on track.
Strategy and Planning
We were responsible for creating the full marketing and engagement strategy from scratch. This included writing the communications plan, outlining the resident journey, and recommending channel-specific approaches based on the behaviour and mindset of different segments of the target audience.
To inform this, we carried out detailed audience segmentation and created a customer journey map. This helped identify the barriers and motivations of different resident groups and ensured that every touchpoint – from leaflets to landing pages – reflected how people actually thought and behaved, and gave them the information and reassurance they were looking for.
Brand Adaptation
Rather than creating a standalone brand, the project team decided to operate under the existing Action on Energy identity — a public-facing Cambridgeshire County Council initiative that offers residents support and advice on energy efficiency and home upgrades.
This approach significantly boosted trust and recognisability. With energy scams on the rise, it was crucial for residents to feel confident the offer was genuine. Leveraging the established Action on Energy brand helped accelerate credibility and reduce friction when introducing the service.
Growth Guides created a project-specific version of the Action on Energy logo — keeping the original design and visual identity intact but adding 'Heat Pumps for Friday Bridge' as a subtitle. This allowed the campaign to remain instantly recognisable while also being clearly distinct and locally relevant.
We applied the Action on Energy brand directly in all our delivery — consistently using its visual identity and tone of voice across every campaign touchpoint. From the website and posters to leaflets, the portal interface and social content, we ensured everything aligned with the brand’s style. This embedded use of the identity helped maintain coherence and supported credibility throughout the project.
Campaign Delivery
We delivered a multi-channel engagement campaign designed to build trust and drive sign-ups, including:
- Addressed mail with doorstep follow-up
- Local events and pop-ups
- Resident phone calls and in-home visits
- Targeted leaflet drops to eligible homes
- Posters and banners in community spaces
- Paid social media ads across Facebook and Instagram
- PR support and press outreach via Cambridgeshire County Council
- Web sign-up journey with optional support
All activity was based on a flexible rollout plan that allowed the team to adapt based on resident engagement and sign-up volumes.
Digital Experience
We designed, built and maintained the full digital journey for residents, creating a seamless and user-friendly experience from first contact to sign-up.
- We designed and wrote all content for the public-facing website, ensuring it clearly explained the offer, benefits, eligibility criteria and next steps
- We created a fully custom CRM and resident portal, integrated so that actions taken in the portal (like booking an appointment) automatically updated a resident's CRM record
- Residents could use the portal to upload supporting documents, access resources and make and manage their bookings, while the delivery team could track interactions, progress and touchpoints in real time
This digital infrastructure was core to the trial's success — enabling effective communication, smooth coordination and a joined-up experience for residents and delivery teams alike.
Home Energy Plan Redesign
One of the campaign’s central offers was a free Home Energy Plan.
However, existing templates were geared towards highly engaged, early-adopter audiences. They contained lots of technical detail and did very little to reinforce the benefits of the recommended home efficiency upgrades.
Because we were aiming for high-density heat pump deployment, we had to target a more mainstream audience than the early-adopters the templates were designed for.
We therefore redesigned the plan format to remove technical jargon, emphasise key benefits, and present information in a visually engaging, digestible way. The updated version helped make the proposition more credible, useful and aspirational for a broader audience.
Insight and Iteration
Throughout the project, we collected resident feedback and translated it into strategic improvements. This included:
- Monitoring sign-up barriers and drop-off points
- Highlighting gaps in delivery (e.g. inconsistent reports, unmet expectations) that affected trust and follow-through
- Recommending changes to improve accuracy, clarity and conversion
We also helped manage the project’s internal coordination — particularly around comms approvals and alignment between Cambridgeshire County Council and Fenland District Council.
DESNZ Reporting
Because Heat Pumps for Friday Bridge was part of a national government trial, we were required to report regularly to DESNZ.
We produced monthly and quarterly reports summarising activity, insight and delivery challenges, and compiled a comprehensive final report with key learnings and strategic recommendations.
This helped ensure that both delivery partners and central government gained practical, actionable insights from the work.
Outcomes & Impact
The campaign reached thousands of residents and built strong local awareness of low-carbon home upgrades. It helped position Heat Pumps for Friday Bridge as a credible source of retrofit support, increased understanding of heat pumps in the community, and provided valuable learnings for future council-led retrofit programmes.
Client Testimonial
"Working with the Growth Guides team, particularly Tony and Holly, has been a game-changer for our projects. Their expertise, unwavering reliability, and results-focused approach consistently drive our initiatives forward. They are highly revered within our team as true partners who go above and beyond to ensure success, making the entire process seamless and impactful.”
- Jade Baker-Edwards, Principal Energy & Sustainability Consultant, City Science