Zero Energy Design
UK-based building physics and sustainability consultancy founded in 2005, serving commercial and residential construction sectors with BREEAM, Net Zero Carbon, and energy assessment services across the UK, Europe, and internationally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersLeeds, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Zero Energy Design does
Zero Energy Design (ZED) is a UK-based building physics and sustainability consultancy founded in 2005 in Leeds. The firm operates as a niche professional services provider focused on the technical and regulatory dimensions of sustainable building design, serving clients across commercial and residential construction sectors. It is structured as a private limited company with 1-10 employees and no disclosed funding history.
The company's service portfolio spans building physics, sustainability consulting, concept design, and planning support. Technical specialisations include BREEAM certification support, SAP energy calculations, Net Zero Carbon consultancy, daylighting analysis, and life cycle cost analysis. Its staff hold BREEAM AP, Low Carbon Consultant, and Low Carbon Energy Assessor credentials, and the firm is a member of the UK Green Building Council. There is no proprietary platform technology; services are delivered through expert consultancy engagements combining modelling, on-site assessment, and regulatory documentation.
ZED serves a diverse client base that includes BAM Construction, McDonald's, Amazon, National Bank of Bahrain, Leeds University, TPP, and L&G Modular, spanning banking, construction, education, retail, and manufacturing sectors. Geographic reach extends across the UK, Europe, and internationally including the Middle East. Revenue mechanics are project-based professional services fees with no disclosed subscription, product, or recurring revenue stream.
Zero Energy Design firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Zero Energy Design
- Legal name
- Zero Energy Design
- Website
- https://zed-uk.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- UK-based building physics and sustainability consultancy founded in 2005, serving commercial and residential construction sectors with BREEAM, Net Zero Carbon, and energy assessment services across the UK, Europe, and internationally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Zero Energy Design industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Building Physics & Sustainability Consultancy
- NAICS
- Architectural Services (54131)
- SIC
- Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Decarbonization Strategy & Marginal Abatement Cost Curve (MACC) Advisory (EUABAKAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- GHG Accounting & Net-Zero/Decarbonization Planning (Scopes 1–3) (EUAHAJAC), Scope 1–3 GHG Inventory Strategy, Data Governance & Controls (advisory) (EUABAKAD)
Keywords
Where Zero Energy Design is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Leeds
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Zero Energy Design business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Building Physics Consultancy: Project-based consultancy fees for building physics analysis, thermal modelling, and environmental assessment services across commercial and residential construction projects.
- Sustainability Consultancy: Bespoke sustainability advisory services including BREEAM assessment, carbon reduction strategy, and net zero planning support for construction projects.
- Planning Support Services: Consultancy services supporting planning applications with environmental and sustainability compliance verification.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Zero Energy Design product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Zero Energy Design (ZED) is an independent building physics and sustainability consultancy offering thermal modelling, building performance simulation, BREEAM assessment, SAP calculations, and net zero carbon advisory for commercial and residential construction projects. Services span the full building lifecycle from initial concept and planning support through design, construction, and ongoing net zero maintenance, primarily serving construction firms, developers, banks and government bodies across the UK, Europe and internationally.
Product overview
Zero Energy Design (ZED) operates as a building physics and sustainability consultancy, not a software product company. The company offers four core consulting service lines—Building Physics, Sustainability, Concept Design, and Planning Support—complemented by specialized offerings including BREEAM Assessment, SAP Calculations, Net Zero Carbon Consultancy, Daylighting Analysis, and Life Cycle Cost Analysis. These services are delivered through expert consultancy rather than software products, helping clients achieve environmental certification, regulatory compliance, and energy optimization across the building lifecycle from initial concept through to net zero operation.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Building Physics Building physics simulation and thermal modelling services to optimise building performance, including airflow modelling and energy analysis for construction and real estate projects.
- Sustainability Consultancy Sustainability consultancy covering BREEAM certification support, carbon reduction strategies, and environmental assessment for residential and commercial developments.
- Concept Design Early-stage design support services to integrate sustainable and energy-efficient principles into building projects from inception.
- Planning Support Consultancy services to support planning applications, including energy and carbon assessments required for regulatory compliance.
- BREEAM Assessment BREEAM environmental assessment methodology support including pre-assessment, design-stage and post-construction certification, delivered by BRE-trained registered assessors and accredited professionals.
- SAP Calculations Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) calculations for residential developments, ensuring compliance with Part L building regulations for housebuilders and developers.
- Net Zero Carbon Consultancy Expert consultancy services helping organisations achieve net zero carbon targets through energy modelling, carbon lifecycle analysis, and low carbon building strategies.
- Daylighting Analysis Assessment of natural light penetration and visual comfort in buildings to optimise occupant wellbeing and reduce artificial lighting energy demands.
- Life Cycle Cost Analysis Economic evaluation of building lifecycle costs to inform sustainable design decisions and long-term value optimisation.
Quantifiable outcome
- 50% energy reduction achieved on National Bank of Bahrain headquarters project through HVAC system redesign and optimisation
Companies that use Zero Energy Design
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Zero Energy Design technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Zero Energy Design partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Zero Energy Design competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Hoare Lea: UK building services engineering consultancy offering MEP, sustainability, and BREEAM advisory. Closely comparable to ZED in service mix and target market (UK commercial and residential developers requiring sustainability certification and Part L compliance).
- Hilson Moran: UK building services and sustainability consultancy serving commercial, residential, and education sectors. Direct peer overlap with ZED on BREEAM, Part L, and net-zero advisory for property developers.
- Elementa Consulting: UK building services and sustainability consultancy providing BREEAM, energy assessment, and net-zero services to construction clients. Overlaps with ZED's customer base and service lines across both commercial and residential projects.
- Max Fordham: UK building services and environmental engineering consultancy with deep specialism in building physics, thermal modelling, and low-energy design. Highly comparable to ZED on the core building physics and sustainability offering.
- Hydrock: UK engineering consultancy with a building performance and sustainability practice covering BREEAM, SAP, and energy strategy. Comparable on services, customer segments (UK developers and contractors), and geographic market.
Broad incumbents
- WSP: Global professional services consultancy with a property and buildings division providing sustainability, energy, and BREEAM services. Overlaps with ZED on regulated UK building performance work but as part of a much wider portfolio.
- Buro Happold: Global engineering consultancy with a sustainability and building performance practice. Offers overlapping BREEAM, energy modelling, and net-zero services but as part of a much broader MEP and structural portfolio rather than as a specialist.
- Ramboll: International engineering, design, and consultancy firm providing sustainability and building performance services. Overlaps with ZED in BREEAM and net-zero advisory but operates globally and across many sectors beyond buildings.
- Mott MacDonald: Global engineering, management, and development consultancy with a built-environment sustainability practice. Competes with ZED on large-scale sustainability and net-zero mandates but at much greater scale and breadth.
Emerging players
- Carbon Trust: Mission-driven climate and sustainability advisory supporting organisations on decarbonisation strategy and net-zero planning. Adjacent peer — competes for corporate net-zero advisory work that increasingly overlaps with ZED's built-environment net-zero service line.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Zero Energy Design social profiles
Digital presenceZero Energy Design compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
Zero Energy Design financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Zero Energy Design leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Zero Energy Design funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Zero Energy Design M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Zero Energy Design
What does Zero Energy Design do?
Zero Energy Design (ZED) is an independent building physics and sustainability consultancy offering thermal modelling, building performance simulation, BREEAM assessment, SAP calculations, and net zero carbon advisory for commercial and residential construction projects. Services span the full building lifecycle from initial concept and planning support through design, construction, and ongoing net zero maintenance, primarily serving construction firms, developers, banks and government bodies across the UK, Europe and internationally.
Is Zero Energy Design a public or private company?
Zero Energy Design is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Zero Energy Design founded?
Zero Energy Design was founded in 2005. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Zero Energy Design based?
Zero Energy Design is headquartered in Leeds, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Zero Energy Design make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Building Physics Consultancy is the primary driver. The others are sustainability Consultancy and planning Support Services.
Who are Zero Energy Design's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Hoare Lea, Hilson Moran, Elementa Consulting, Max Fordham and Hydrock. Broad incumbents are WSP, Buro Happold, Ramboll and Mott MacDonald. Carbon Trust is listed as an emerging player.
Does Zero Energy Design have an API?
No public API is recorded for Zero Energy Design.
What industry is Zero Energy Design in?
Zero Energy Design's product category is Building Physics & Sustainability Consultancy. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUABAKAC, Decarbonization Strategy & Marginal Abatement Cost Curve (MACC) Advisory, with a secondary code of EUAHAJAC, GHG Accounting & Net-Zero/Decarbonization Planning (Scopes 1–3). Its NAICS code is 54131 and its SIC code is 8731.