Retrofit Champion finalist at the Oxford Climate Awards 2026
We’re proud to share that Nikki Lambert has been named a finalist in the Retrofit Champion category at this year’s Oxford Climate Awards. She was featured in the Oxford Mail on 24 September 2026, alongside the other finalists.
Where it started
Three years ago, Nikki bought a house that was cold, inefficient and reliant on mains gas. Rather than patch it up, she took on a full retrofit. The gas came out and an air-to-air heat pump went in for heating and cooling. The house also got external wall insulation, new glazing, careful airtightness work and a mechanical extract ventilation system. As an early adopter of the Energy Saver App, she was then selected for the Metis scheme to add solar panels and a battery.
The result? In July, the household energy bill was in credit. Not reduced. In credit.
We’ve written about the whole project in our earlier post We don’t just believe in retrofit – we live it.
What it means for our clients
Living through a retrofit changes how you build. Nikki trained as an energy champion, and Lambert Home Builds now takes on more whole-house retrofit work. We use natural fibre insulation wherever it suits the building, and we keep looking for ways to cut waste on site. We understand the disruption, the decisions and the payoff, because we’ve been through them ourselves.
Helping the wider industry
Through the Federation of Master Builders, Nikki encourages other building firms to take on energy-efficient work. Oxfordshire needs more contractors who understand retrofit, not fewer.
Thinking about your own home?
If your home is draughty, expensive to heat, or you’re just wondering what’s possible, get in touch. We’re happy to talk it through in plain English.
Find out more about the awards and all the categories: oxfordmail.co.uk/climate-awards. Winners will be announced on 15 October at Oxford Town Hall.
Thank you to Oxford City Council, the Oxford Mail, Metis and the Energy Saver App for supporting the awards.
