Oxford City Council has launched a new resource as part of a campaign to encourage residents to find out more about retrofitting their homes - #OxfordNeedsNetZero.
Retrofitting is the process of making changes to your property, such as installing heat pumps, solar panels, loft insulation, wall insulation, and more – all of which can help reduce your energy consumption and carbon emissions.
The Zero Carbon Oxford Roadmap has found that around 60% of Oxford’s total carbon emissions come from buildings – and residential buildings makes up 25% of total emissions. Oxford has a goal to become a net-zero carbon city by 2040, and decarbonising buildings is key to this.
To help residents find out more about the options that are available, the Council has created a dedicated webpage on retrofitting.
The webpage aims to provide a resource for residents who are interested in retrofitting, signposting to a range of grants, guides, and useful information to get started on their retrofit journey. Residents can find out more about the Home Upgrade Grant, Boiler Upgrade Scheme, Energy Company Obligation fund, which range from funding for people on low incomes and living in hard to heat homes, as well as general grants for homeowners.
The webpage also includes links to further information and support from local organisations including Better Housing Better Health, Local Carbon Hub, Cosy Homes Oxfordshire, and others.
For more information, visit the Retrofitting your home webpages.
Decarbonising Oxford’s buildings
Oxford has an ambition to become a net-zero carbon city by 2040 - ten years ahead of the Government deadline.
The Council is already taking action to reduce carbon emissions from its own buildings and to become a Zero Carbon Council by 2030, including installing heat pumps at four council-run leisure centres. The Council is also building low-carbon homes through its housing company OX Place.
The Council’s draft local plan also proposed bringing forward the requirement for all new homes and businesses in Oxford to be zero carbon to the adoption of the Local Plan 2040 – likely in 2025. The draft local plan also requires no fossil fuels to be directly used in the operation of new housing or commercial developments (e.g., no gas for heating or cooking) by 2040.
Residents who want to learn more information about how they can reduce their carbon footprint, are encouraged to visit Climate Action Oxfordshire for more advice on actions – both big and small – they can take.
“We know that buildings are the biggest source of carbon emissions in Oxford, and with the amount of information that is available, it can be quite daunting when you first look at retrofitting your home. That is why we have launched this new resource to provide a guide for people who are interested in retrofitting. We hope that this guide will be useful resource as they start their journey.”
Councillor Anna Railton, Cabinet Member for Zero Carbon Oxford and Climate Justice
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