County council launches net zero project for rural homes across Wales

A council has launched a major new research and demonstration project to develop practical, low-carbon solutions for traditional rural homes across Wales.

The project called O Llaith i Gynnes: Low Carbon Solutions for Rural Welsh Homes is led by Cardiff University / Prifysgol Caerdydd and funded through the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Switch Net Zero Wales programme. It is being delivered at the Carmarthen County Council’s farm, Bremenda Isaf, in partnership with Canolfan Tywi Centre and the South West Wales Regional Energy Team.

The focus is a traditional pre-1919 solid-walled farmhouse – a building type that represents more than a third of homes in Carmarthenshire.

If Net Zero targets are to be met, these properties must be retrofitted in ways that are effective, affordable and appropriate for Wales’ wet, wind-driven climate.

Over the next 12 months, the research team will carry out detailed monitoring of temperature, humidity, energy use and moisture movement, alongside analysis of the building’s materials.

Rather than beginning with major retrofit works, the project will first establish how the building currently performs and explore how traditional structures can be supported to work as originally intended.

The findings will inform low-carbon, low-risk retrofit pathways with minimal intervention, helping to improve energy performance, reduce carbon emissions and enhance comfort.

The results will feed directly into accredited training through the Tywi Centre, professional skills development, future funding bids and local authority policy and guidance.

Carmarthenshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Decarbonisation and Sustainability, Cllr Aled Vaughan Owen, said: “Traditional buildings make up a significant proportion of homes in Carmarthenshire and across rural Wales. Getting retrofit right is essential if we are to meet our Net Zero ambitions.

This project will give us the robust evidence we need to guide homeowners, tradespeople and policymakers – ensuring we scale up solutions that genuinely work for our communities and climate.”