A Victorian house in Wandsworth is to be retrofitted with innovative low carbon building technology to test how UK homes could be made more energy efficient.

The property, which is owned by the Peabody Housing Association, was selected for the Retrofit for the Future scheme - a Government scheme delivered by the Technology Strategy Board (TSB) - and will give information on how the Government can reach CO2 reduction target of 80 per cent by 2050.

When completed, the house will include features such as mechanical ventilation systems to recover heat and distribute it throughout the home and extensive use of internal and external insulation.

David Bott, director of innovation programmes at the TSB, said: “Retrofit for the Future provides the testbeds we need to ensure the development of long term, mass solutions.”

The Board is investing £17m in more than 80 projects across the UK.

Peabody’s sustainability manager, Nic Wedlake, said: “This is an opportunity for us to develop complete design solutions for typical UK homes, vastly improving their energy efficiency.

"This will be crucial to meeting the Government’s target of reducing carbon emissions by 80 per cent within 40 years.”

Peabody has received £340,000 of funding to retrofit five properties in two locations, the mid-terrace Victorian home in Wandsworth and a terrace of four homes dating in Haringey.

The development follows the Mayor of London’s announcement that Wandsworth would not be designated as one of the capitals low emission zones.

Boris Johnson last year unveiled the capital's first 10 "low carbon zones", pledging to provide each of the new zones with more than £200,000 to fund carbon-cutting schemes.