Open Eco Homes 2011 is an initiative in Cambridge where homes that have had a green makeover invite the public in to see how it's done
Cambridge 'greenies' Suzie & Iain Webb, seen with their daughter Alice, are taking part in the Open Eco Homes weekend Photograph: David Levene
On the floor next to the kitchen in Suzie and Iain Webb's house sits a small terracotta pot with a glazed lid and a knitted cushion on top. "That's the fridge," smiles Iain. "We tend to only eat ice cream when we are round at other people's houses, but this keeps cool most of what we want."
The fact that the "fridge" is leaning up against a radiator might seem strange, but Iain has already explained that the heating is pretty much never switched on.
We are in a 1950s brick-built semi on the east side of Cambridge, and I should not have been surprised by the unorthodox cold store inside. The front of Iain and his partner Suzie's home on Nuttings Road is a bit different from their neighbours'. For a start, there are enormous piles of wood, an extensive vegetable patch and a couple of large water butts.
If ever a family wore "sustainability" on its T-shirt sleeve, it was this one. Iain works for the Wildlife Trust, and Suzie is a local teacher who used to live on a houseboat.
They have kindly (or, rather, proudly) agreed to open up their home – complete with sheep's wool insulated roof and solar heating system – as part of a local open eco homes programme that officially starts today.
The initiative, supported by Cambridge Carbon Footprint and the Energy Saving Trust, is designed to trigger interest in, and action on, lower carbon living. It is one of a growing number of low-energy housing "open day" events taking place around the country. Last weekend, Bristol hosted "Solar Saturday", with around a dozen homes showcasing solar PV and solar thermal systems open to visitors, and about 20 homes in the Brighton area are expected to open their doors for Eco Open Houses 2011 on 8-11 September. Meanwhile, this year's Green Buildings in Norfolk open days take place on 17-18 and 24-25 September.
Back in Cambridge, Iain and Suzie are quick to admit they are hardcore greenies. "We are both passionate about the environment and love that our home is now an expression of this," says Suzie. "We sometimes put our ideology before our finances or convenience, but are happy about this." The couple, who have a young daughter, Alice, say they have spent £35,000 in a "five-year plan" of insulating, draft excluding and home-based renewable power systems.
But they have also gone for all the quick and cheaper gains such using heavy curtains to keep in warmth and putting draft excluders on doors.
While saving money is not at the centre of this low-carbon change, they do claim to have reduced their utility bills to £30 a month.
Coming at things from a slightly different direction are Cathy and John Shaw, who live on the far west side of Cambridge and are also taking part in the open homes scheme. They live in a 2004 custom-built detached house that has architect written all over it and is known locally as "the Marmite House" – you either love it or hate it.
Regardless of its external design (and I loved it), this, too, is a highly energy-efficient home, but one built for economy. "We wanted somewhere that was nice to live in and cheap to run. It was not primarily about cutting our carbon footprint but cutting costs," Cathy explains.
The house is a mass of (triple-glazed) glass and timber able to maximise natural light and heat from the sun. The walls are stuffed with recycled newspaper, while rainwater is harvested from the roofs and stored in a giant tank under the back lawn.
The whole house cost £250,000 to build, and the architect who designed it says its "green" credentials would only have added about 10% over and above the cost of a traditional build.
There is underfloor heating but no solar panels or the feed-in subsidies they bring. Nevertheless, the bills are half of what is normal for a three-bed home of this size: £800 a year for gas-fired heating and water, plus £250 for electricity for lighting and cooking.
The advantage for Cathy and John was that they were able to start from scratch. That was not the case for another couple opening their home to the public, Nicola Terry and Arthur Chance.
Their end-of-terrace Victorian house in the centre of Cambridge was cold, draughty and enormously expensive to heat, they realised after purchase. The past two years has been a frenzy of activity in an attempt to make it comfortable, warm and less costly to run.
Considering Nicola has just published a book on carbon issues, and former academic-gone entrepreneur Arthur rubbed shoulders in Cambridge with government energy guru David MacKay, it is clear that greener living is no afterthought here either.
Arthur admits not everyone would be up for a major, expensive makeover. He and Nicola started with new double-glazed windows and went on to insulate floors and roofs before tackling the walls. A new bay window on the ground floor was internally insulated with 100mm of Celotex, but some outside brick walls were clad externally, too. Nine solar panels were attached to the kitchen's south-facing roof and spaces opened with full-length glass doors and windows. A new gas-fired condensing boiler was installed, while "heat recovery ventilation" was put in to prevent any build-up of moisture in this new super draft-proofed building.
The utility bills might be lighter, but Arthur accepts it will take a decade before the solar panels alone pay their way. "Fortunately we had the money to put into the house following the sale of a business we set up in the late 1980s. It's a good thing to do, but it is a big upheaval and I will be glad when it is over," says Arthur.
This is a far cry from the activities at Nuttings Road – or is it? Clearly it helps to have substantial cash savings, but conscience and commitment go a long way, too.
Suzie has one tip that will cost you nothing and can be done today: take off the side of the bath and stuff the cavity with old cushions and coats. "What a difference. It keeps the bath water warm for ages. Just luxury," she says.
Even here, the low-carbon model is about wool coats, knitted cushions - but not necessarily hair shirts.
• Fifteen "eco homes" in and around Cambridge are opening their doors today and on 26 June to show what can be done with solar panels, sedum green roofs, wood-burning stoves, ground source heat pumps and many other measures to suit a wide range of budgets. To find out more go to openecohomes.org or call the Energy Saving Trust on 0800 512 012.
Source http://www.guardian.co.uk/
The fact that the "fridge" is leaning up against a radiator might seem strange, but Iain has already explained that the heating is pretty much never switched on.
We are in a 1950s brick-built semi on the east side of Cambridge, and I should not have been surprised by the unorthodox cold store inside. The front of Iain and his partner Suzie's home on Nuttings Road is a bit different from their neighbours'. For a start, there are enormous piles of wood, an extensive vegetable patch and a couple of large water butts.
If ever a family wore "sustainability" on its T-shirt sleeve, it was this one. Iain works for the Wildlife Trust, and Suzie is a local teacher who used to live on a houseboat.
They have kindly (or, rather, proudly) agreed to open up their home – complete with sheep's wool insulated roof and solar heating system – as part of a local open eco homes programme that officially starts today.
The initiative, supported by Cambridge Carbon Footprint and the Energy Saving Trust, is designed to trigger interest in, and action on, lower carbon living. It is one of a growing number of low-energy housing "open day" events taking place around the country. Last weekend, Bristol hosted "Solar Saturday", with around a dozen homes showcasing solar PV and solar thermal systems open to visitors, and about 20 homes in the Brighton area are expected to open their doors for Eco Open Houses 2011 on 8-11 September. Meanwhile, this year's Green Buildings in Norfolk open days take place on 17-18 and 24-25 September.
Back in Cambridge, Iain and Suzie are quick to admit they are hardcore greenies. "We are both passionate about the environment and love that our home is now an expression of this," says Suzie. "We sometimes put our ideology before our finances or convenience, but are happy about this." The couple, who have a young daughter, Alice, say they have spent £35,000 in a "five-year plan" of insulating, draft excluding and home-based renewable power systems.
But they have also gone for all the quick and cheaper gains such using heavy curtains to keep in warmth and putting draft excluders on doors.
While saving money is not at the centre of this low-carbon change, they do claim to have reduced their utility bills to £30 a month.
Coming at things from a slightly different direction are Cathy and John Shaw, who live on the far west side of Cambridge and are also taking part in the open homes scheme. They live in a 2004 custom-built detached house that has architect written all over it and is known locally as "the Marmite House" – you either love it or hate it.
Regardless of its external design (and I loved it), this, too, is a highly energy-efficient home, but one built for economy. "We wanted somewhere that was nice to live in and cheap to run. It was not primarily about cutting our carbon footprint but cutting costs," Cathy explains.
The house is a mass of (triple-glazed) glass and timber able to maximise natural light and heat from the sun. The walls are stuffed with recycled newspaper, while rainwater is harvested from the roofs and stored in a giant tank under the back lawn.
The whole house cost £250,000 to build, and the architect who designed it says its "green" credentials would only have added about 10% over and above the cost of a traditional build.
There is underfloor heating but no solar panels or the feed-in subsidies they bring. Nevertheless, the bills are half of what is normal for a three-bed home of this size: £800 a year for gas-fired heating and water, plus £250 for electricity for lighting and cooking.
The advantage for Cathy and John was that they were able to start from scratch. That was not the case for another couple opening their home to the public, Nicola Terry and Arthur Chance.
Their end-of-terrace Victorian house in the centre of Cambridge was cold, draughty and enormously expensive to heat, they realised after purchase. The past two years has been a frenzy of activity in an attempt to make it comfortable, warm and less costly to run.
Considering Nicola has just published a book on carbon issues, and former academic-gone entrepreneur Arthur rubbed shoulders in Cambridge with government energy guru David MacKay, it is clear that greener living is no afterthought here either.
Arthur admits not everyone would be up for a major, expensive makeover. He and Nicola started with new double-glazed windows and went on to insulate floors and roofs before tackling the walls. A new bay window on the ground floor was internally insulated with 100mm of Celotex, but some outside brick walls were clad externally, too. Nine solar panels were attached to the kitchen's south-facing roof and spaces opened with full-length glass doors and windows. A new gas-fired condensing boiler was installed, while "heat recovery ventilation" was put in to prevent any build-up of moisture in this new super draft-proofed building.
The utility bills might be lighter, but Arthur accepts it will take a decade before the solar panels alone pay their way. "Fortunately we had the money to put into the house following the sale of a business we set up in the late 1980s. It's a good thing to do, but it is a big upheaval and I will be glad when it is over," says Arthur.
This is a far cry from the activities at Nuttings Road – or is it? Clearly it helps to have substantial cash savings, but conscience and commitment go a long way, too.
Suzie has one tip that will cost you nothing and can be done today: take off the side of the bath and stuff the cavity with old cushions and coats. "What a difference. It keeps the bath water warm for ages. Just luxury," she says.
Even here, the low-carbon model is about wool coats, knitted cushions - but not necessarily hair shirts.
• Fifteen "eco homes" in and around Cambridge are opening their doors today and on 26 June to show what can be done with solar panels, sedum green roofs, wood-burning stoves, ground source heat pumps and many other measures to suit a wide range of budgets. To find out more go to openecohomes.org or call the Energy Saving Trust on 0800 512 012.
Source http://www.guardian.co.uk/
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