Almost all the open homes have efficient LED lighting, double or triple glazing, and solar PV panels. The categories below show the features of our greener homes in addition to these. By 'retrofit' we mean work on an existing house to make it more efficient, better insulated, drier etc. Find a home on the map, or the list below, and click on the name (in blue) for more details.
Solar PV with Battery Heat Pump Sustainable Materials Open by Appointment all year round
New-Build using locally sourced sustainable material; heat pump, airtight with demand control ventilation.
A 1960s building with a modern extension. Extensively fitted with insulation and underfloor heating powered by the Air Source Heat Pump. Solar panels with planned battery .
Low Cost Improvements Sustainable Materials Lifestyle Changes Retrofit
A Victorian Listed building extensively eco- retrofitted with sustainable materials.
Solar PV with Battery Retrofit
1930's house with wood frame extensions, photovoltaic panels and battery, electric car and charger and rainwater collection system.
Sustainable Materials Solar PV with Battery Heat Pump Open by Appointment all year round
Well insulated 2008 house with AS heat pump, solar panels on West facing .roof; 100% renewable electrical supplier; car charging point.
Heat Pump Retrofit Solar PV with Battery
A tired 1979 bungalow transformed into a light filled family home.
Heat Pump Retrofit Solar Hot Water Open by Appointment all year round
Built in 1995, Cavity wall and loft insulation and glazing has been added, Then a Mitsubishi Ecodan Heat Pump, new radiators and Solar Edge Solar Panels were installed in 2021. Plenty of surplus energy is exported to Octopus for 15pkWh, an EV charger charges the car via the Solar PV
Low Cost Improvements Sustainable Materials Solar PV with Battery Open by Appointment all year round
At Watercleaves, a former nursery school, John and Debbie have used ingenuity and imagination to create low cost solutions for double glazing, solar panels, batteries and rainwater harvesting.
Solar Hot Water Solar PV with Battery Open by Appointment all year round Retrofit
This 200 yr old farmhouse has been brought up to modern standards with extensive insulation and renovations, with Solar Panels, and a Solar Boost, and a 25kw Wood Pellet Boiler.
Sustainable Materials Solar PV with Battery Heat Pump Open by Appointment all year round
Near Passive-house with timber frame. Air-tight building with made of structurally insulated panels, filled with wood fibre insulation. Air Source Heat pump. 14 PV panels and a battery to store excess electricity. Triple glazed windows., MVHR ventilation..
Solar PV with Battery Lifestyle Changes Retrofit Solar Hot Water Open by Appointment all year round Low Cost Improvements
A seventies house with extensive interior and exterior insulation; PV panels charge a battery and the car, and heat water, and a solar thermal panel also heats the water. Extensive rainwater harvesting.
Solar PV with Battery Retrofit Open by Appointment all year round
A 1950s bungalow with insulation added as improvements have been made. PV panels with batteries and effective use of the electricity tariff are likely to reduce electricity charges to nearly nothing over the year.
Heat Pump Solar PV with Battery Retrofit Solar Hot Water Open by Appointment all year round
A 1989 building which Grahame and Yvonne have extensively renovated, with cavity wall insulation, much thicker loft and underfloor insulation and new double glazed windows. Two sets of PV panels, and a solar thermal panel. The house is heated with air source Heat Pump with underfloor heating.s
Heat Pump Solar PV with Battery Open by Appointment all year round
1950s chalet bungalow fully refurbished in 2020 with removal of gas boiler and retro fitting of PV panels, air source heat pump and EV charger. Addition in 2024 of extra PV panels, battery and back up system in case of power cut. We also have a log burner.
Solar PV with Battery Open by Appointment all year round
Smart Home with many energy saving improvements • Solar 12 PV panels, House battery storage • Intelligent electricity tariff: • Load shifting strategies implemented * Intelligent smart home with presence sensing, Electric vehicle
Solar PV with Battery Retrofit Open by Appointment all year round
We renovated this 1920's home in 2021. We have tried to maintain the period feel so we have solar panels on the side elevation, a battery, full insulation and Reynaer's aluminium double glazed windows and doors.
Thatched cottage with heat pumps and solar PV on garage.
Low Cost Improvements Heat Pump Solar PV with Battery Sustainable Materials Retrofit Open by Appointment all year round
1950's brick built ex-council house with cavity wall insulation, high spec windows, solar panels, battery, air source heat pump, organic garden of vegetables and flower, wild flower meadow and 7 water butts. Recycled materials in conservatory and porch and built-in cupboards
Solar PV with Battery Heat Pump
Built from SIPS, air-tight with solar panels over whole roof. Two 10kWh batteries. Air-source heat pump and MVHR. And a beautiful garden.
Heat Pump Sustainable Materials Lifestyle Changes Open by Appointment all year round
A highly insulated converted barn, the build included repurposing materials onsite. It boasts passivhaus triple glazing, Mechanical ventilation and Heat Recovery. Also Underfloor Heating from a ground source heat pump.
Solar PV with Battery Lifestyle Changes Retrofit Solar Hot Water Open by Appointment all year round
How do you turn a sixties bungalow with an EPC D into a highly efficient , nearly net zero home with an EPC of A? Here's how!
Solar PV with Battery Retrofit Sustainable Materials
Solar PV House is a conversion of a mid-terraced Victorian home, and the addition of a full width loft conversion and a three story extension at the back, clad in metal with flexible PV panels, From EPC: F to EPC: A
One of the only homes in Dorset built and certified to Passivhaus standard. The house is so well insulated that the heating is almost never turned on. The owner was the architect for the project.
Low Cost Improvements Solar PV with Battery Lifestyle Changes Retrofit Open by Appointment all year round
70s building with extensive insulation, different materials for each wall allowing comparison. PV panels with Tesla battery.
Solar PV with Battery Heat Pump Retrofit Open by Appointment all year round
Well insulated house with 15 solar panels. Tesla Powerwall battery and air source Heat Pump.. Good advice on electricity tariffs.
Heat Pump Solar PV with Battery Sustainable Materials Lifestyle Changes Retrofit Open by Appointment all year round
The use of traditional and renewable materials and ensuring that the 500 year old building would be as energy efficient as possible were the principles behind the restoration.
Shaftesbury's Community Farm attracts volunteers who enjoy one another's company as they use sustainable approaches to growing fruit and a range of salads and vegetables, as well as keeping chickens (for eggs) and bees (mainly for pollination).
Solar PV with Battery Heat Pump
'A newly built green sandstone cottage, with an A rated EPC. Heat pumo, PV with battery, extensive insulation.
Solar PV with Battery Retrofit
A modest house with extensive new insulation, and new solar PV and battery.
Solar PV with Battery Lifestyle Changes Retrofit Heat Pump
Retrofitted bungalow with PV panels and batteries, ventilation system, rainwater recovery and a keen recycler.
Retrofit Lifestyle Changes Heat Pump
An existing house, retrofitted to zero carbon.
Open by Appointment all year round Solar PV with Battery Heat Pump Solar Hot Water
Early 1900s mid terrace. Cavity wall insulation, high spec loft insulation. 7.1kW solar PV with iboost and 10kWh battery. Heat pump. Permaculture productive garden
Hanse Haus A+ rated SIP- built, near-passive house. MVHR, 6kV from 25 solar PV panels, Tesla Powerwall battery., Bi-directional car charger to use EV car battery as a backup. Rainwater harvesting.
Solar PV with Battery Lifestyle Changes Solar Hot Water Open by Appointment all year round
Solar PV with a diverter to heat water and charge the EV, Solar thermal tubes, air-air-heat pumps; wildlife friendly and organic garden. garden d
Campsite with two large solar arrays, a guided wildlife walk and possibly an archaeological dig of a Neolithic flint collection. Bring a picnic.
Solar PV with Battery Lifestyle Changes
Come along and enjoy our bee friendly garden and see our new living roof(s) on the shed and summer house. We also hope to show a range of bee keeping and honey extraction equipment. And if you have time, you can enjoy a slice of honey cake and a cup of tea.
Low Cost Improvements Heat Pump Solar PV with Battery Sustainable Materials Open by Appointment all year round
This 1970's bungalow has had extensive insulation to improve the house, solar panels and an air source heat pump. They have also done a lot in the garden to encourage nature.
Solar PV with Battery Lifestyle Changes Heat Pump Retrofit
In-roof PV Panels with Battery, Air source Heat pump. The owners have undertaken a pretty extensive thermal upgrade to the house.
Retrofit Heat Pump Solar PV with Battery Solar Hot Water Open by Appointment all year round
This 1906 Edwardian House has been extensively Retrofitted and Insulated. Electricity is produced from the many Solar PV Panels with Battery, Along with Solar Thermal Panels, an Iboost and an Air Source Heat Pump. The Garden is pollinator friendly.