Eco-Renovation event: Yes, Mr Miliband, Oxford wants (green) gold!

Solar electric Victorian Terrace and a former pub leads Third Annual Oxfordshire Eco-buildings Open Days

When: Thu 10th - Sun13th September 2009
Where: Oxford City and across Oxfordshire
Details: www.ecovation.org.uk

When the UK’s Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband praised communities in Oxford for working to make the city “the green capital of Britain”, some might have been surprised. But Oxfordshire’s third Eco-buildings Open Days (September 10th-13th) is yet another demonstration of the city’s and county’s positive and leading response to climate change.

Twenty-four homes and buildings across Oxfordshire will invite the public to see, experience, and share the techniques and vision of eco-renovation. The eco-buildings look like ordinary houses, offices (and even boats) on the outside. But looks can be deceptive: from simple and affordable to sophisticated, these buildings use the latest ideas and technology of green design to cut their energy and water use and lower their carbon footprints. Visitors will be led round by home owners or other ‘experts by experience’. This is an inspiring way to share the excitement, challenges and sometimes frustrations they encountered in creating their green building. In past years’ events over 1,000 visits have been made to the eco-homes.

Featured homes include the stylish conversion of a former Jericho pub into four highly insulated houses with a large solar photovoltaic and solar hot water array; and the ‘Solar Electric Victorian Terrace’ in Howard Street, who’s solar photovoltaic roof makes the house a net exporter of electricity.

Also included in this year’s event is the new zero carbon straw bale staff space at the Old Music Hall on Cowley Road, constructed with zero metal and zero concrete; and a special talk on Solar hot water at work at the Oxford University Press.

Jo Hamilton, co-ordinator of Oxfordshire ClimateXChange, says:
“These buildings are fantastic examples of how an integrated environmental approach can both increase a building’s value and deliver beautiful, healthier, cheaper, and better places to live and work. With so much environmental expertise in Oxfordshire, it’s no surprise that there are so many great examples. The challenge now is to match the need and demand for home eco- renovations with tailored high quality advice, building services, products, suitable financial package, and jobs, so that Oxfordshire can play a leadership role in the 'Great British Refurb' campaign and DECC’s UK Low Carbon Transition Plan’.”

Antonia Hund-Goeschel, Ecovation project manager of COIN says:
“We are excited to see that this major eco-renovation event has carried off successfully locally and increasingly at a national scale and hope to inspire all of the UK’s existing buildings to prepare for a sustainable future.”

Oxfordshire ClimateXchange and COIN will be recruiting members for the new Oxfordshire Eco-renovators Club during the Open Days [5]. Over the next 12 months, club members will receive support, advice and discounts to enable them to take their next eco-renovation step. See www.climatex.org for further information.

The event is organised by Oxford-based charity the Climate Outreach and Information Network (COIN), and the University of Oxford’s Oxfordshire ClimateXChange, with the generous support of the Sustainable Energy Academy (SEA), Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council. It is part of the Oxford Open Doors event http://www.oxfordopendoors.org.uk/index.html and the nationwide Heritage Open Days (HODs - http://www.heritageopendays.org.uk/ ).

It is not just Oxfordshire - other Eco-buildings Open Days are happening across the country on the same weekend in Stroud, London, Norfolk and Mendips.

For more information, for interviews with house owners or for media access to the homes contact Toni at COIN: 01865 403 334 / email toni@coinet.org.uk

Or visit the website: http://www.ecovation.org.uk

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