Kingston's Efficient Homes Show

Many thanks to the businesses and organisations that took part in Kingston's first ever Efficient Homes Show, which took place at Hollyfield School in Surbiton on Saturday 20 May.

435 residents registered to attend and speak with experts about technology and services which could improve their home, reduce their bills and protect the planet.

We will keep the information on this page for those who wish to find out what took place on the day or would like to contact any of the exhibitors.

Timetable for the day

• 10.30am Doors open.
• 10.45am - 10.50am: Welcoming remarks Councillor Ian Manders, Portfolio Holder for Climate Action & Sustainable Transport.
• 10.50am - 11.05am: Keynote speaker Sir Ed Davey, MP for Kingston and Surbiton
• 11.30am - 12.15pm: Panel Discussion: Internal and External Wall Insulation. Panel Members: Liz Crisp, Company Director, The Cave Co-operative; Kyle Hyams, Company Director, InstaServices LTD; Lillian Lochner, Climate Action, Kingston Council. Facilitator: Councillor Ian Manders, Portfolio Holder for Climate Action and Sustainable Transport.

This session focused on the following topics: 

1. Why is wall insulation important? 
2. What is the most effective approach to insulating solid-wall homes? Internal wall insulation or external wall insulation and why?
3. How much could someone save on their energy bill (£/year) as well as how many kilograms of CO2 emissions could save each year with solid wall insulation? 
4. How much does wall insulation cost? 
5. Is there any financial support available? 
6. Are there any building regulations that they have to follow? 
7. What things should people who want to insulate their homes consider? Where should someone look for reliable advice? Where can you find verified insulation companies? 

• 12.30pm - 12.50pm: A talk: ‘A Short Talk about my Low-Carbon Home’ by Michael de Podesta, the author of ‘Protons for Breakfast’.
• 1.15pm - 2pm - Panel Discussion: 'A growing demand for sustainability professionals: Is this the best time to enter the green jobs sector?' Panel Members: Prof Maria Chatzichristodoulou, Kingston University; Poly Persechino, South London Green Skills Academy/SLP; Jim Coleman, WSP; Amarjit Dhanjal, OCN London. Facilitator: Forbes Low, CEO, Chamber of Commerce.

This session focused on the following topics: 

1. How do young people view the Net Zero world and the world of green skills and jobs? What kind of career paths are they thinking about choosing? (Jim Coleman)
2. What are the priority skills for the future? What kind of skills and competencies do employers in this area want? (Prof Maria Chatzichristodoulou)
3. What do we mean by green jobs; What is the anticipated growth of green jobs across the South London area? (Polly Percechino)
4. What kind of accredited training courses and qualifications related to retrofit skills are currently available for Kingston’s young people, as well as adults who would like to retrain or change career path? (Amarjit Dhanjal)

• 2.15pm: Closing Remarks: Councillor Ian Manders, Portfolio Holder for Climate Action & Sustainable Transport.
• 2.30pm: End of the event 

Organisations and businesses that attended

• Ecowelle Limited: Energy efficient homes, installations including heating controls and solar panels - website
• Electric4u: Solar panels, battery storage and electric vehicles - website
• Felicity - Green Energy and Utility Queen: Promotion of green energy, reducing energy waste and free smart meters - website
• Federation of Small Businesses (FSB): Information for business owners - website
• Hollyfield School: Students will be showcasing their projects - website
• Joju Ltd: Electric vehicle chargepoint installation services - website
• Invest4Energy: Showcasing a crowdlending platform, where people can raise funds for their solar project or lend money and earn interest - website
• Keiba Solutions Ltd: Solar panels, solar battery storage and energy management services - website
• Kingston Chamber of Commerce - website
• Kingston Council's Climate Action Team: Showcasing the council's work to help tackle climate change - website
• Kingston Environment Forum (KEF) - website
• Kingston Green Business Community - website
• Kingston University - Education Liaison and Outreach: An activity for children and young people to design a green home and learn more about the technologies which can make homes more efficient. Participants can either choose from a range of technologies to improve their own house's efficiency, or design a futuristic green home from scratch - website
• Lanka Property Services Limited: Discussing energy efficiency upgrades and problem solving - website
• Limetrack: Food waste collections and processing (via Anaerobic Digestion) to renewable energy and organic fertiliser - website
• Maple Works Limited: Supporting the Invest4Energy project - website
• Marguerite Murdoch Architects: Find out how to retrofit your home - website
• Nat. Green Specification Ltd: Find out about the Green Retrofit Calculator & Green Building Calculators as well as design tools for homeowners and professionals - website
• Net-Zero Insulation Ltd: Insulation retrofitting services that can generate up to 35% of heat savings with loft insulation only - website
• Oakhouse Software Ltd: Digital tools and services for home design, energy survey, retrofitting and education - website
• OCN London: Showcasing the development of green and sustainable qualifications and learning resources - website
• Parity Projects Ltd - Ecofurb service: providing advice and referrals for those wanting to retrofit their homes - website
• RADIANT TECH UK: Sustainable Energy and Water sourcing & Sustainable Products and Services - website
• So Go Solar Ltd: Demonstrating the benefits of solar panels and battery storage - website
• South Bank Innovations LSBU: Education and employment support programme in the retrofit sector for unemployed people - website
• South London Partnership - Green Skills Academy: Training and employment opportunities within the green sector - website
• Surbiton Windows: Showcasing specialist 'vacuum glazing' that is five times better than standard, double glazing.
• SunrayRecycle: Recycling of hard to recycle items to be collected in homes, offices & education sites - website
• The Cave Co-operative: Exhibiting projects and explaining the use of natural building materials in construction, the use of renewable energies and how to apply retrofit techniques - website
• Your Energy Your Way: The installation of solar panels, ground and air source heat pumps, electric vehicle chargers and our new training programme - website.