This weekend, 12/13 September, 20 West Dorset homes will be open to visitors. The people who live in them have done something to make them more environmentally friendly, and are happy to show visitors what they have done to create their ‘EcoHomes’. There’s something for everybody, from phone apps to control the low carbon heating, to efficient LED lighting, and simple ways to insulate and cut fuel bills!
Visitors will get the chance to see a whole range of energy efficiency and renewable energy measures, some very straightforward and inexpensive, others surprising and innovative. They can talk to people who have built with low-impact building materials such as wool, lime, hemp and straw-bale, and others who have installed solar panels, rainwater harvesting, reed-bed waste disposal and a wide range of insulation materials. Some of the properties are totally off-grid, using only the electricity they generate onsite.
Kingswood in West Bexington is rented, but Arnold and Ro still store 6,000 litres of rainwater, use the sun to heat their water, and have a 12V solar electricity system to charge their electric scooter.
For something totally different how about Looke Meade in Litton Cheney? It’s a self-built off grid house built on stilts, using wool insulation, hemp and lime render and treated water from a stream. A battery house stores the electricity they generate onsite. Reclaimed windows from old churches have been renovated with efficient double glazing and stained glass.
Alternatively go along to Rydens in Bridport, where Dave and Anne are full of “brilliant ideas” like her double-sided wood burning stove, the thermal curtain at the top of the stairs, and many low cost measures to keep their waste to a minimum.
To launch the event, two talks are planned at St Johns Ambulance Hall, DT6 3JJ on Thursday 10that 7pm, showing two approaches to building an EcoHome. John Bols is a passivhaus architect from b3 architecture, while John Butler has built a straw bale extension to his house and is studying for an MA in sustainable building design.
The event has been organised by Transition Town Bridport and Turn Lyme Green, in collaboration with Dorset Architectural Heritage Week. Open Ecohomes is part of the Communities Living Sustainably in Dorset (CLS) project, which is supported by the Big Lottery Fund.
Ann Boothroyd from Turn Lyme Green, says “It’s great joining Transition Town Bridport for this event, it’s our second time taking part, our home (Solways Orchard) is open again this year and we really enjoy showing people what we’ve learned and importantly what we wouldn’t do again!”
Emily Bullock, Greener Choices Co-ordinator for CLS says “it’s the third time we’ve helped organise this event, previous visitors have found it really inspiring so do go along – whether you want to make big changes at home or just pick up some novel energy saving or gardening tips! There is nothing like learning from someone who has first-hand experience and can tell you what they would do differently next time!”
The event is free to attend, but some properties need to be booked in advance. For full details of the properties pick up the Open Ecohomes leaflet from your local library or Tourist Information Centre. More information and booking on https://bridport.greenopenhomes.net .
