Energy Saving Homes is coming to Oxford Open Doors on 12 and 13 September 2026
Energy Saving Homes provides an opportunity to visit homes in your neighbourhood showing how ordinary people have cut energy costs through a range of retrofit measures. The event takes place annually in association with Oxford Open Doors.
Now in its fifth year, the programme looks again to showcase energy saving measures in homes across Oxford. With the recent heatwave stressing home comfort, and Middle East tensions stressing energy prices, this is a great opportunity to see how home owners in our communities have responded with things like insulation, window upgrading and heat pump heating and cooling. Alongside this move towards home electrification comes another strong trend in the growth of rooftop solar PV and home battery installation. LCON’s Go Solar programme will be actively promoting these open homes with solar PV and batteries installed as part of our efforts to help our community increase its adoption of these technologies. Details of homes will be available in the coming weeks on the Energy Saving Homes website.
2025’s Energy Saving Homes weekend saw hundreds of people visit more than 30 homes across Oxford. Homes showcased a huge range of energy saving solutions from small measures such as draught-proofing and radiator reflectors to more ambitious projects including heat pumps and comprehensive insulation.
One visitor commented she “learnt more about solar PV in two hours than in years”.
What are Energy Saving Homes?
Energy Saving Homes are a bit different to the traditional Oxford Open Doors locations: they show how ordinary people have cut energy costs in their homes, through small, cheap measures, and through larger renovation projects – from draught proofing to wall and loft insulation, solar panels and battery storage, heat pumps, and double and triple glazing.
This is a chance to hear from homeowners how they navigated the often-confusing landscape of eco-renovation. Find out what went well and what was difficult, what they learned, and what further steps they are planning to take. You will be able to speak directly to them, and sometimes their contractors, and ask your questions.
Energy Saving Homes is run in association with Oxford Preservation Trust, and with the sponsorship of Communities for Zero Carbon Oxford, a coalition of Oxford-based climate and environmental organisations. It was originally funded by Oxford City Council and Low Carbon Hub.
A huge thank you to all the Energy Saving Homes owners who so generously open their doors, to our dedicated volunteers, to our partners Oxford Preservation Trust, to Low Carbon Hub who have supported Energy Saving Homes, and to the community groups and organisations in Oxford and Oxfordshire who partner with us and helped make Energy Saving Homes such a success.
We plan to continue to work with residents to grow and spread the initiative across Oxford.
