A Carbon-Zero Milestone: William R. Miller Building becomes Teddy Hall’s first all-electric residence

The William R. Miller Building has become the College’s first retrofitted carbon-zero building, following the full replacement of its gas systems with renewable electric heating and hot water.

The College’s 55-bedroom William R. Miller Building on Dawson Street, opened in 2005, was originally operated with electric heating and gas-fired hot water systems throughout.

At the beginning of Michaelmas Term 2023, the Estates team installed a new all-electric boiler system, known as a “Sunamp” in a small three-bedroom apartment within the building, replacing the aging gas system.

The Sunamp unit was monitored over the following year as residents benefited from fully electric, carbon-free heating and hot water.

After a successful trial, the team began converting the remaining apartments. By the end of September 2025, the final gas-fired hot water boiler was removed and replaced with an electric system. With heating and hot water now fully electric, the gas supply to the building has been completely removed.

As all of the College’s electricity is generated by wind power, this marks a significant milestone – our first retrofitted carbon-zero building.

Looking ahead, we aim to roll out further innovations across the College estate to advance our goal of becoming as close to carbon net zero as possible.

A special thanks go to the whole team for their hard work and expertise—especially Phil, our College Plumber; Alex, our Deputy Estates Manager; and Jose, our East Oxford Warden.