CHELTENHAM GREEN DOORS
Sharing knowledge about sustainable living
22nd & 23rd June
2013
Cheltenham Connect’s “Green Group”, Vision 21 for Gloucestershire
and Transition Towns Cheltenham have come together
to organise our third
Open Homes, Open Gardens event,
including commercial and office properties, and gardens.
This year we open in conjunction with an event on WED 5 JUN 4:30PM - 5:30PM at:
House: Triple glazing, solar PV and backup system for operating when there is a grid outage, passive solar conservatory, solar thermal, wood burning stove, LED lighting.
Garden: permaculture, bees.
House: Cavity wall Insulated, double Glazing, wood burner in standard fireplace, condensing combi boiler, thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs) on all radiators, Wireless programmer, Loft insulated with 300mm fibre at joists and 50mm spray foam to the tiles, draught proofed original front door.
Listed Grade II property within Conservation Area: Ground mounted PV with air source heat pump heating whole house. Plus loft insulation, internal insulation of one wall & low-energy lighting; separate basement installation of a condensing gas boiler.
Micro Combined Heat & Power (CHP), solar thermal, solar PV, double & secondary glazing, cavity wall insulation (unusual for an Edwardian house).
Whole house refurbishment: includes double glazing of original wooden windows, under wooden floor insulation, roof and internal wall insulation, TVRs on all radiators, sun-pipe, positive input ventilation, draught-exclusion measures, low-energy lighting, natural paints, sound proofing while still retaining original features and stained glass doors.
2013 detached, built to PassivHaus standard - the gold standard in energy efficiency
** New this year **
Conservation Area
Condensing boiler, solar PV, internal insulation, heat exchange extractor fan.
Note: This property is likely to be very popular and visiting may have to be restricted. Please be patient.
Building envelope insulated to PassivHaus air tightness standard, mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR), air source heat pumps providing additional heat for MVHR plus domestic hot water, solar PV providing c.10kWp exceeding overall annual domestic energy requirement, rainwater harvesting.
New fruit trees and many unusual and native flowers, herb garden and greenhouse vegetables, water saving, composting and home-made structures, hens.
‘Edible Garden’ in a public park, run on organic principles by Transition Town Cheltenham and helpers, harvested and eaten by passers-by, unusual and perennial vegetables, soft fruit and many insect attracting flowers.
"Permaculture Community garden, run as joint enterprise of Univ. & St Paul’s Road Area Residents Association.
Insect-friendly herb, vegetable and flower beds, antislug planters, composting and water saving, top fruit in mini orchard with wild flowers and tiny pond, soft fruit with weed-suppressing mulch.
Conservation Area
Permaculture Community Garden, run as joint enterprise of Univ. & St Paul’s Road Area Residents Association, designed on permaculture lines with plant diversity, re-use of materials, water harvesting and food production modelling.
Some of what you’ll be able to see over the weekend will be:
Solar Hot Water panels (generating hot water)
Solar photovoltaics (generating electricity)
A home built to ‘PassivHaus’ standard (where the heating and cooling requirements are reduced to the point where a traditional heating system is no longer essential)
Mechanical ventilation with heat recovery
Various forms of draught proofing and both internal and external insulation
Solid wall and cavity wall insulation.
Air source heat pumps
Sustainable gardens
There will also be lots more from a sun-pipes and wildlife gardens to secondary triple glazing and rainwater harvesting.
Ornamental garden designed for wildlife and to encourage biodiversity; organic system with pond, composting, cold frame, water butts, fruit trees, herbs and veg.
What is an Eco Home or Building?
With rising fuel costs and reducing household
incomes we are all looking for ways to cut costs.
The fossil fuels we use to heat our homes, clean
and deliver our water, and produce and deliver
our food, are significant contributors to climate
change. Is it possible to reduce your bills and make
a small contribution to reducing carbon emissions?
Some local people who believe they can make a
difference and have made changes to their homes,
are opening their homes on 22nd & 23rd June.
This is an opportunity to see real examples of
what people have done, talk to the householders
about their experiences, the advantages and
disadvantages, and get an unbiased view with no
hard sell.
Help with cutting heating costs through the Green Deal
The Green Deal is a new way of encouraging energy saving. It’s not just a loan - starting with a Green Deal assessment helps to identify which improvements are most appropriate for that particular property. A Green Deal Plan is a way of paying for the work with no upfront cost, with loan repayments equalling the savings in energy bills. For households living in older properties without cavity walls, “ECO” grants are available towards the cost of solid wall insulation. Currently 50% of the cost can be met with a grant, and for households on certain benefits, the grant may cover the full cost. See here for more information, or phone Warm and Well on 0800 500 3076.
Stop heat loss:
30% of the UK's carbon emissions
come from our homes, 56% of that is from heating,
so reducing heat loss can make a real difference.
Up to 25% of the heat you generate can be lost in a
poorly insulated roof, and you can save up to £135
on your annual fuel bill with wall insulation.
Look
out for houses, commercial or communal properties
with insulation, draught proofing, double or triple
glazing, water heat storage and heat recovery.
Generate your own energy:
Generate your own energy: Despite recent changes
to government funding schemes, installation costs
have dropped and micro generation can still be a
worthwhile investment at this time of low interest
rates for savings. Find out more by visiting properties
listed as having solar PV technology.
Recycle water:
Changing weather patterns are
increasing the risk of water shortage. We are also
spending money and energy producing clean water for
tasks that could be done by rain or grey water. Look out
for properties with rainwater water harvesting.
Grow your own food:
Food is getting more
expensive and growing your own makes sense but
where to start? Visit the sustainable vegetable or
community gardens. There will be people to give
advice on growing and protecting crops and what
grows well in local conditions.
Organisers
Media Partner
Main Sponsors
Supported By
Interactive Map for the 2013 Grren Doors event - click on a property for a detailed Google map
Please contact us if you would like to support, or take part in, future Green Doors events.
CHELTENHAM GREEN DOORS
