HOMES on Oxford’s Barton estate are being given an environmental makeover as part of a pilot project run by city organisations.

Under plans announced by Oxford City Council and the Low Carbon Hub’s Warming Barton scheme, 26 Barton homes are having external wall insulation (EWI) installed in time for Christmas.

The two organisations are running a pilot scheme in Barton to improve the energy efficiency of homes. The scheme was set up earlier this year to tie in with the launch of two Government initiatives, the Green Deal and the Energy Company Obligation.

More than 100 households had free energy surveys to pinpoint measures to improve the energy efficiency of homes, and 26 of the most poorly-insulated properties are having EWI installed.

Barton resident John Cavendish of Bayswater Road, has been one of the first to benefit. He said: “The evening after the insulation had been put up the house was noticeably warmer. The boiler doesn’t seem to be working as hard as it did before to keep the house warm and we can sit in our lounge without a blanket over us.”

As well as environmental and cost-saving benefits, Mr Cavendish says the value of his home has risen by £30,000, according to a local estate agent.

City executive board member for cleaner, greener Oxford John Tanner said: “It is great to see work being completed in time for Christmas on these hard-to-treat houses in Barton.

“This is an excellent project to create warmer, healthier and more energy efficient homes in Oxford.”

The scheme ties in with funding available under the Energy Company Obligation (ECO), which requires the big six energy suppliers to improve the energy efficiency of UK households, especially those with low incomes.

ECO partially funded the EWI installation, with top-up funding from the Low Carbon Hub and Oxford City Council to ensure the project was completed.

The Low Carbon Hub’s operations director Adriano Figueiredo said: “Under this pilot we have found ECO-funding hard to access for those who need it most.

“We would like to create a scheme locally that works for the needs of households in Oxford. We will continue to work hard to create warmer homes and lower energy bills across the city.”

The organisations are now looking to obtain other sources of grant funding to extend the pilot to more homes.