News - Page 3
Outstanding year for Community Grants funding
It's been our best year yet for community grants. In 2025–26, Low Carbon Hub awarded £31,500 to community groups across Oxfordshire — funding projects from draughtbusting affordable housing to building a community shop with rooftop solar. Here's what our members have been doing.
Energy efficiency and comfort in an 18th century home
I recently visited Julia Shay and Martin Groves, who have lived in their 18th-century thatched cottage in Eynsham for about twelve years. The house is Grade II listed and sits in a conservation area, which has shaped almost every decision they make about improving it. The windows were one of the biggest projects to undertake. […]
How to pay for improving your home
A plain-English guide to paying for home energy improvements in 2026, including what the Warm Homes Plan means for grants, loans, and getting started with retrofit.
An old house with new challenges
They wanted to reduce their energy usage, make the house warmer and well insulated, and possibly replacing their gas boiler with a heat pump.
Keeping staff and kit warm at Eynsham Fire Station
Eynsham Fire Station has recently installed infrared heating panels across the building, covering the crew office, communal areas, changing rooms and the engine bay itself. The core problem with heating a fire station is that it is not a building you can ever really seal up and keep warm in the conventional sense. The engine […]
Community energy and the energy transition
Our recent webinar brought together community energy practitioners, policy-watchers and engaged citizens to take stock of where the UK energy transition stands, and, crucially, what role community energy can and should play as we move into the next phase. Led by our CEO, Barbara Hammond, the session moved from big-picture system trends to the reality […]
When home improvements don’t deliver comfort
Renovating your home doesn’t always make it more comfortable. This article explains why some home improvements fall short, and how thinking beyond renovation can improve comfort, air quality, and long-term health.
Warm Homes Plan: what’s new
The Warm Homes Plan promises major investment in home upgrades. Here’s what’s actually new, how the support works, and what it means for cutting bills and improving your home.
5 reasons to gift shares in community energy
In a world where ‘more stuff’ seems to be the go-to gift for kids, many of us are looking for something that means a little more. That’s where one of our best-kept share offer secrets comes in – the ability to apply for shares on behalf of children that become theirs when they turn 16. […]
Join our Thermal Imaging Training Workshop
Our next thermal imaging training workshop for Low Carbon Hub and CAG Network community groups has a new date and takes place on: Wednesday 14 January 2026, 6.30pm – 8.30pm, at the John Wesley Room, Wesley Memorial Church, New Inn Hall Street, Oxford OX1 2DH. Our thermal imaging training workshop, led by Paul Buckingham, offers community groups the chance to learn how to feel confident using a thermal imaging camera to help […]
Community Energy Insights 2026
Join Low Carbon Hub throughout 2026 for a programme of short, insightful lunchtime webinars exploring the most important developments shaping community energy and the UK’s transition to clean energy.
Wrap your home in insulation
Insulation is one of the simplest ways to keep your home warm in winter, cool during heatwaves, and cheaper to run. Here’s how to tackle heat loss from the roof down and make your home more comfortable in every season.