We’re delighted to share that Nikki Lambert has won the Retrofit Champion Award at the Oxford Climate Awards 2026. The ceremony was held at Oxford Town Hall on Thursday 15 October, hosted by former international rugby referee Nigel Owens, and the award was presented by Tom Woolley of Metis.
The awards are run by the Oxford Mail and Oxford City Council, and celebrate the people and organisations across Oxford who are taking action on climate change. You can read the Oxford Mail’s report on the win here: Oxfordshire sustainability advocate wins at climate awards.
What the award recognises
The award recognises two things: the work Nikki has done to improve her own home’s energy performance, and her efforts to promote retrofit more widely. That includes helping develop retrofit training rigs at Abingdon and Witney College, organising renewables workshops for construction teams, and sharing what she has learned through professional networks and community outreach.
Her house went from cold, inefficient and reliant on mains gas to a home whose energy bill was in credit by July. You can read the full story in We don’t just believe in retrofit – we live it.
A special thank you to Metis, who developed the Energy Saver App in association with Oxfordshire County Council. The Energy Saver App sponsored the Retrofit Champion Award, and as an early adopter of the app, Nikki was selected for the Metis scheme, which enabled us to install solar PV and a battery system in the first place. That made a big difference to how the house reached a bill in credit.
For us, winning the award was the culmination of all the effort we have put into creating both a more sustainable home and a more sustainable business. Sharing this win means so much to us.
Why it matters to us
As Nikki said on the night: “It’s about accessibility and making sure retrofit is not out of reach. Everyone here is a champion.”
This award is about community as much as buildings. Retrofit makes the biggest difference when what we learn reaches beyond one house. Nikki is a trained Energy Champion and is looking forward to working with local community groups, and we share what we learn in our Homeowner Guides.
Congratulations to our fellow shortlisted candidates
Well done to James Thurrell, Catherine Toledo, Simon Morris, Keith Hicks, David Braun, Deanne Puffitt and Alan Sargeant, who were also shortlisted for Retrofit Champion. And thank you to everyone who nominated and supported us.
Thinking about your own home?
If your home is cold, draughty or expensive to run, our Homeowner Guides are a good place to start. Or get in touch and we’ll talk it through in plain English.