Housewarming

What is Housewarming?

Our Housewarming Programme aims to help homeowners prepare their homes for the future. This includes cutting energy use to meet net zero targets, phasing out fossil fuels, making homes heat-pump ready, and maintaining a comfortable temperature in both winter and summer. Housewarming brings homeowners together, in a supportive environment, to help navigate the overwhelming amount of information; build greater understanding of the options available; and look to identify the right steps for each home.

What does Housewarming offer?

LCON has produced a series of seven Housewarming Guides to support people who want to improve their homes (see the free downloads below). These guides, prepared by independent experts, walk through the options, considering key questions for each stage of any plans to ensure they will work for you and your home. 

Alongside the Guides, we offer a course of meetings for local residents.  These offer an opportunity for more personalised support as you develop your own plans for eco-renovating your home, and you will benefit from best practice sharing and regular peer support and encouragement. Dates for the 2024 meetings are: January 9 and 23, February 13 and 27, March 12 and 26, and April 9. They take place 7.30-9pm at the North Oxford Association Community Centre.

How to get involved

Our 2024 Housewarming meetings are currently fully booked. If you would like to join the waiting list, contact the Housewarming Coordinator, Philippa O’Connor.

If you’re just starting to think about eco-renovation and want to find out a bit more first, you may want to take a look at the Energy Saving Homes bite-size films (2-4 minutes each), showing how home owners have put in place different measures to reduce their energy consumption and make their homes warmer in winter. The films cover similar topics to our Housewarming Guides, and we have included the relevant links below.

Housewarming Guides

Here are the seven free downloadable Housewarming Guides:

H1: Taking Stock

This guide provides techniques and approaches to help you identify your homes current status, including thermal images and what they tell you, Energy Performance Certificates and air tightness v air quality.

H2: Insulation

What are the options for insulation – roof, internal and external walls, floors?  How do different materials compare in effectiveness, environmental credentials and potential cost?

(And you can access the Energy Saving Homes Bite-size film ‘Insulating your walls, loft and floor’ here.)

H3: Windows and Doors

What is the difference between double and triple glazing? Will secondary glazing do? What’s a whole window U-value?

(And you can access the Energy Saving Homes Bite-size film ‘Glazing and ventilation’ here.)

H4: Draughts and Ventilation

What is a mechanical ventilation scheme and how does air stay healthy? Which draught proofing works best in different applications?

(And you can access the Energy Saving Homes Bite-size film ‘Glazing and ventilation’ here.)

H5: Heating and Controls

What is needed for air source and ground source heat pumps to work effectively and efficiently? What size of pump is needed and how can this be reduced?

(And you can access the Energy Saving Homes Bite-size film ‘Air-source heat pumps’ here.)

H6: Whole House Plan

Whole house surveys, planning a renovation – including timings and priorities.

H7: Electricity, Appliances and Home Renewables

This seventh guide focuses on electricity – how you might use it more efficiently in your electrical appliances and how you might generate it at home through renewable sources to save money and further reduce carbon emissions.

How to get involved in Housewarming

If you would like to find out more, please email Philippa, our Housewarming Coordinator: philippa.oconnor@lcon.org.uk.

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