Dorset Greener Homes

14 West Walls

on Monday, Jul 22, 2024

Early 1900s three bed mid terrace with detached garage to rear. Efficiency - Instafibre cavity wall insulation, UPVC double glazing, High spec loft insulation, Basic underfloor insulation to main ground floor living area, High efficiency appliances and LED lighting throughout. Solar - 7.1kW installed capacity solar pv with iboost (which shunts surplus solar generation to the immersion heater for hot water) and 10kWh of domestic battery storage. Heating - Daikin heat pump providing both space and hot water (when there isn’t enough solar) heating. Ekol 5kW wood burner as back up space heating Garden - Permaculture food production. Parking is available nearby in Streche Rd car park. There is level access to the rear and a small step at the front door but this is an older property with narrow doors followed by tight turns – wheelchair access may not be possible. email ian@durotriges.net or call Ian on 07887 823023

Yew Tree House

on Monday, Jul 22, 2024

Yew Tree House was built from SIPS with the second best air-tightness rating of any non-passivhaus the tester had measured. - roof integrated solar panels across an entire roof plane, generating up to 56kWh of electricity in a day - 2 Sonnen batteries with 10kWh capacity - Nibe air-source heat pump as the sole generator of heat, feeding wet underfloor heating on the ground floor only - MVHR system throughout, with a heat exchanger capturing 95% of heat from the air vented out of the building I have moved onto a feed-in tariff contract with Octopus. Last month I saved £175 compared to what our kWh use would have cost without solar, and made a net profit of £21 on my energy, ie: Octopus paid me £21 more for the energy we fed into the grid than the cost of the energy we used. The Garden is open under the National Gardens Scheme https://ngs.

117b Fernside Road Poole

on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021

This house is not taking part in the Dorset Greener Homes event this year. 1930s build 3 bedroom semi with wooden floors throughout. We have one open fire. There is an extension at the back which has considerably better insulation and is south facing. We moved into the house in March 2019 and have since converted the loft improving insulation. We are currently caulking wooden floorboards on the ground floor. We have installed 9 solar panels which can produce 3.09 Kw. We have three batteries capable of storing 7Kw. The electricity produced is used to charge up our electric vehicle via a Zappi charger, and the stored electricity in the batteries runs the home at night.

12 Hillingdon, Bridport

on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021

Smart Home using technology to reduce energy use Energy saving improvements • Solar 12 PV panels, 4.2kW Peak House battery storage 5kWh Fox Plug-and-play Intelligent electricity tariff: Octopus Flux Load shifting strategies implemented so all electricity is on cheap night rate via the battery storage Intelligent smart home with presence sensing, which controls the Nt thermostat, charging the car at efficient times, Electric vehicle Mark lives in a 1950s detached bungalow. His goal with the improvements he has made was to reduce electricity usage and reliance on the grid to a bare minimum, and eradicate if possible. This has been done by installation of a standard solar array and house battery, this allows him to power the house during the day and fill the battery for use at night. He has also switched to an intelligent electricity tariff with night rates at a fraction of daily rates, using this tariff he’s able to charge the house battery if required as a top up if solar hasn’t been sufficient.

17 St Martinsfield, Martinstown

on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021

We have lived in our 1950’s ex-council house on the north edge of Martinstown for 11 years this year. It is brick built with cavity walls which we had filled with an insulating layer of polystyrene balls and waterproof glue to hold them together. This creates a waterproof barrier that stops any damp crossing into the inner skin of wall. As a house loses 35% of its heat through the walls, we felt this was an important first step to take. We then changed the windows to high spec double glazing- another source of heat loss. In 2019 we had solar panels and battery fitted. There are 10 panels producing 3.9 kws. The battery is a 13.7 kw Tesla battery. One of the biggest capacity batteries on the market it is also very sleek and sits behind the kitchen door! 2 years ago we had a Mitsubishi Ecodan 8.5 kw air source heat pump installed.

18 South Lawns, Bridport

on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021

For the last 8 years I’ve been using this house to trial a number of eco ventures. A 70’s chalet bungalow relatively unchanged until we bought it. Over a period of 19 years there have been many alterations. The usual techie stuff: Solar PV and battery, solar thermal, thermal insulation, wood burning stove, electric car and home charger, a balcony for shade. EPC has now improved from D to C. Heating has been by log burner, night storage and oil filled radiators for many years, but although I remain sceptical, am currently investigating heat pumps. By the open dates for Greener Homes I should have much more info and look forward to sharing. This home is Open by Appointment all year round - email dropkins@phonecoop.coop to book a visit

18 Tudor Gardens, Blandford

on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021

Well we all have to start somewhere! This late 1970s end of terrace house was occupied for 40 years by a confirmed bachelor smoking 40 cigarettes a day, so its not pretty! But it has insulation and old storage heaters provided under the Warm Fronts Scheme for the disabled 20 years ago, and now new double glazed windows and solar panels with battery, soon to be earning pennies from Octopus. The new owner is learning fast. If you’re lucky the scaffolding will have gone by the time you visit. On street parking in Tudor Gardens, Larksmead or Elizabeth Road Turn down Larksmead opposite the cemetery on the Salisbury Road (A354 from Blandford bypass) and follow straight down (past the turn into Elizabeth Road) into Tudor Gardens. Difficult wheelchair access into the house.

23 Redlands Lane, Broadwindsor

on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021

This detached house was built in 1995. Cavity wall and loft insulation were installed early 2000s and new double glazed windows in 2020. A Mitsubishi Ecodan Heat Pump, new radiators and Solar Edge Solar Panels were installed in 2021. An immersion controller tops up the hot water from the solar panels. Plenty of surplus energy is exported to Octopus for 15pkWh. My electric car is cheap to charge via the solar panels This home is Open by Appointment all year round - email ruffle875@btinternet.com to book a visit

23 Walls View Road, Wareham

on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021

All electric home heating & water 3 kilowatt Solar Panels (12) Two Solar Storage Lithium Batteries Pod Point EV charger 3 kilowatt Air to Air heat Pump/ Air Conditioner (Panasonic) Electric Car Fiat E Icon Rainwater recovery with 4 Water Butts Home Composter Recycling: crisp and chocolate empty packets,Tetra Packs & Tin Foil Wilding back garden, organic, small orchard Beryl is a volunteer litter picker, Wareham Railway Station Adopter in community garden/platforms, and is member of Dorset Council.

3 Hardy Road, Bridport

on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021

Energy saving improvements 13 Solar PV panels, 5.1kW Peak House battery 10kWh Solar Edge Energy bank Intelligent electricity tariff: Octopus Flux Chris and Angela live in a 1950s detached bungalow. The main goal with the improvements they have made was to reduce electricity usage and reliance on the grid. This has been done by installation of a standard solar array and house battery. The house has a complex roof and various shading issues, power optimisers on each panel maximise the output. They have also switched to Octopus Flux, an intelligent electricity tariff with a low cost night rate at a fraction of daily rates, and enhanced export rate during peak hours. Using this tariff the house battery is charged at cheap rate. During summer months electricity is exported building up significant credit. The battery was not installed until Feb 2023, so the impact during winter has not been measured yet.

33 Bestwall Road, Wareham

on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021

We bought the site, upon which a poor quality bungalow stood in ?2012? Once we had secured planning permission the site was cleared, and the current building at 33 Bestwall Road, was new in Sept 2014. The house was erected by https://www.hanse-haus.de/en/ (where you can see details of their bespoke prefabricated designs) Hanse left us with a bare shell and we completed the fitting out and roofing. The SIPS building features triple glazing throughout, and a depth and quality of insulation that is much better than UK standards. The building is near passive standard. In addition to benefits inherent in a building of this type, the house featured at the time of completion (April 2015) LED lighting throughout Mechanically Ventilated Heat Recovery Rain water harvest to an underground tank, supplying toilets and washing machine water internally, and an outside tap 25 Solar panels with Enphase micro inverters. These are properly integrated into the roof, not on rails.

33 Trent Drive Wareham

on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021

An existing house, retrofitted to zero carbon: Loft Insulation. Cavity Wall insulation. Air Source heat Pump 4 kWp of solar PV A solar diverter to heat the hot water from power generated on the roof. It’s easy to find the house (we’re at the end, and the only one on Trent Drive with solar panels) but it’s harder to find a parking space. If there are none on Trent Drive, try Northmoor Way or, better yet, the No. 40 bus stops very close by and we are an easy walk from Wareham Railway Station

51 Coppice Street, Shaftesbury

on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021

This is a centre-terrace former council house built in the 1930s and within easy reach of Shaftesbury town centre. The present owners, Richard and Rachel, bought it late in 2017, but made changes before moving in 18 months later. Theirs was a relatively new later-in-life relationship and they were combining two households. Their modifications were designed to give them adequate but compact space for sustainable living into their older age. The house now has a timber-framed south-facing rear extension with underfloor heating and a sedum roof, a loft conversion, high spec double glazing, a refitted kitchen, a lot of additional storage space, a small solar PV array, and a garden office. Throughout the building works and associated internal changes the couple aimed to reuse existing materials and for new fittings to be as sustainable as possible. Heating and hot water is currently provided by the pre-existing gas combi-boiler (less than 5 years old); there is also a wood burner which is used sparingly.

55 Parkwood Road, Southbourne

on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021

Soo Chapman has been an energy champion for many years and retrofitted her large Edwardian house built in 1906, to make it as energy efficient as possible and run off on site renewable energy. There are two sets of solar PV panels on the roof. In 2010, the first array, consisting of 12 panels on the East and 8 panels on the West roofs were installed (and qualified for feed-in-tariff). In 2017 the second array of 13 solar panels on the south-facing roof were installed. In 2016, the first Tesla Powerwall (battery storage) in the area was installed. Heating and hot water is provided by a combination of solar thermal panels, solar iboost (taking excess electricity from the PV panels for hot water) and an Air Source Heat Pump. There is no gas. In addition, infrared heating, lowered & insulated ceilings, insulated floors and insulated cavity walls help the house operate efficiently.

6 Crane Street, Cranborne

on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021

No.6 is a Late-Victorian semi-detached dwelling built in 1890, located within a Conservation Area. It has 2.5 bedrooms. The owner is an architect specialising in green, renewable and eco-friendly architectural design. She has adopted a Fabric-First approach to retrofitting her house, which is a work in progress. EXISTING CONSTRUCTION: The external walls are of stretcher brickwork, possibly one of the earliest local cavity construction, and has bitumen dipped iron wall ties. It has a full attic floor to the eaves, and Welsh slate roof of 40 degree pitch. THERMAL UPGRADE WORKS & 30YR REFIT UNDERTAKEN IN 2022: Removed timber ground floor & replaced with limecrete eco slab Ground floor underfloor heating from air source heat pump Reused existing Electric Boiler as winter back-up to ASHP Array of 10no. in-roof PV panels on south roof with battery located in attic 300mm hemp batts to attic floor Internal insulation: Ground – Hemp Lime Plaster – nom 20mm Internal insulation: First Floor – Lime, 40 Woodwool, Hemp Lime – 70mm New front door, without integral letter box opening New ground floor wc & shower off conservatory (for elderly access) New replacement conservatory Retain original single glazed sash & case windows, new internal shutters WORKS CURRENTLY BEING UNDERTAKEN / TO BE DONE:

67 Chafeys Ave, Weymouth

on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021

67 is a traditionally built 1960’s bungalow, cavity walls, suspended floors and tiled roof. Purchased in 2010 the property had gas central heating, old uPVC windows, minimal loft insulation. Watch our Short Film of Chafeys Avenue Here: 67 Chafey’s Avenue also features on the National Self Build and Renovation Centre NSBRC website here. Congratulations to Alan! WHOLE HOUSE VENTILATION AND HEAT RECOVERY SYSTEM During the winter of 2010 problems occurred with mould forming in the unused bedroom and generally the air quality in the house was not good. Research into house ventilation led me to Whole House Ventilation and eventually to a unit from Villavent ( now Systemair) https://www.systemair.com In a bungalow this was a straight forward job and within the capability of any good DIY-er. Unit installed VR 250 ECH/B. Now replaced with a VTR 150/ B. Purchased as a complete kit and installed in 2 days. The only maintenance required is an annual filter change, the units operation is automatic.

Alcester Cottage, Shaftesbury

on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021

This newly built house is built of reclaimed (recycled!) local natural stone, very nearly finished! As you can see from the image it is a traditional looking cottage. We have good insulation, a heat pump, solar PV and battery. Our energy rating is an A. We are pleased that we have shown that a newly built eco house doesn’t have to look like an eco house! Open Friday 20th and Sat 21st Sept - Book in Advance by emailing reuben.chappell@outlook.com

Amity, Lyme Regis

on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021

Amity is a modern house, built in 2007 with an extension added in 2014 (the latter with under floor heating and now a thermally insulated flat roof). Vicki and Philip moved in four years ago from a draughty and cold Edwardian house with the aim of making Amity as low carbon as possible, in terms of energy use. The priority was to install solar panels on the roof and an air source heat pump, so the house no longer needs a gas supply. The recent addition of a 13.5 kW battery has taken the house virtually “off grid” for the summer months. All light bulbs have been switched to LED. An electric car charging point was put in and is also publicly available (via Zapmap). There are also veg beds, water butts and composting. The open day event has not passed, but if you wish to visit Amity them please email Vicki on vicki.

Anglers, Tytherleigh

on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021

Alison and Mark’s house is a self-build, eco-house, constructed of timber-frame with recycled wood fibre insulation and high air tightness to maximise energy efficiency. The build has been a learning process! We would love to share what we have learned with you. Energy Efficiency The house has been designed and built to be as energy efficient as possible. South facing windows maximise solar gain and the construction is timber frame with high levels of insulation and air tightness to keep heat inside. The insulation is recycled wood fibre and there is a demand control ventilation (DCV) system, allowing the house to be breathable and maintain and pleasant living environment (easier to install and more energy efficient than the alternative MVHR (mechanical ventilation and heat recovery) system). Heating is provided from an air source heat pump with underfloor heating All light bulbs are low energy LED All energy is supplied from renewable energy sources (solar to be added to the roof later this year) Sustainable and locally sourced materials and trades

Appletree Cottage Fifehead Magdalen

on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021

Near the end of 2018 we moved into an ordinary-looking house in a pretty village in North Dorset. We chose the house because of the lovely view across the Blackmore Vale, and because the house was south facing and wasn’t thatched! We discovered that it had cavity wall insulation (so an expense we didn’t have to budget for) and thick loft insulation, so it was already cheaper to run than most houses of the same size. And it has the benefit of a glazed extension (conservatory is too grand a word!) which warms up very nicely, even in winter sun. However, it had an oil boiler which was smelly and pumping out CO2 at a rate of knots, so we embarked on our plan to reduce our carbon footprint, which we’d been wanting to do for years but never had the roof space nor the southerly aspect. Four months after moving in we had 15 solar panels installed, giving 4+kwh at peak, and a month or so after that, the 13 kwh Tesla Powerwall was installed to store the solar-generated electricity.

Ashley Heath Ringwood

on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021

Since we moved into this 1960s bungalow conversion in 2011, we have made quite a few changes. We started with cavity wall insulation, covered by a grant. We switched to an electricity tariff based on 100% renewable energy. Next, we installed 14 photovoltaic panels on the south-facing roof aspect, together with a Tesla Powerwall battery and a Zappi EV charger. The battery is set up so that we can continue to use stored electricity during a power cut. We became virtually ‘off grid’ in the summer months. Following an independent energy expert survey, we upgraded some of the older double glazing so that it was all A-rated and argon filled. Also, nearly all lights bulbs were converted to LED. Finally, the gas boiler was replaced with a Stiebel Eltron air source heat pump (which qualified for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant) by an MCS certified installer. Plus the gas hob was replaced with an induction one.

Blandford Museum

on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021

Electricity is the only source of power in the museum. The museum collection, whether in store or on exhibition, needs to be kept within specific temperature and relative humidity ranges, which means we must run de-humidifiers and electric heaters for 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Even keeping to eco settings and reducing the night settings to the minimum, our bills can be very high. Installing solar panels will reduce these costs throughout the year, as well as reducing our carbon footprint. We estimate that our panels will generate 4,739 kWh per year (enough to boil water for more than 150,000 cups of tea!), decreasing emissions by the equivalent of 2.4 tonnes CO2. The installation was part-funded by Low Carbon Dorset as part of the European Regional Development Fund. Blandford Museum Environmental Group has been set up to work on events and projects with an environmental focus such as sustainability fairs, tree planting, rubbish collection, and working to make Blandford a “Plastic Free” town.

Bonny Braes, Langton Matravers

on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021

The house was built in 1930’s originally and we extended it in 2018, shortly after we moved. As part of the extension work, we prioritized reducing the footprint of the build and designing the new spaces to reduce use of power, heat and lighting. Key to this was to move the house ‘upside down’ bringing living rooms onto the first floor with associated heating and light savings. Our bedrooms are on the ground floor, which are cooler. This will become particularly important during heat waves. The heating system still has a condensing boiler, but with three zones to minimise what we use. These are programmed to heat different rooms at different times of days, e.g. bedrooms in the evening. In the future we’ll aim for a heat pump. The house has 3kW of solar PV installed across East, South and West facing roofs – something which will be more important in the future.

Brook Cottage, Lyme Regis

on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021

The house was built in 1930s with cavity walls. We bought the house in 2009 and added 2 wood frame extensions with internal and external insulation. The wall and roof insulation thickness is greater than required specifications. After much consideration the cavity walls of the original house were filled with graphite balls recommended at the time for moist coastal areas. The new part of the house needs almost no heating whilst the old part can feel freezing. Old PVC windows and doors were replaced with locally-made hardwood which are double glazed and argon-filled. We get great solar warmth through the glass when the sun shines. All lighting is LED. We sparingly use a small log burner that easily heats the insulated part of the house. We use gas for additional heat if necessary. We have an electric car and charging point and use Octopus as our energy provider. In 2022 we replaced malfunctioning solar water heating panels with Photovoltaic panels.

Buddleia Cottage, Sherborne

on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021

My house is a bit of a mish-mash. The front was built in the 1600’s and the back is late Victorian, so the front is built of stone and the back from brick. As such, I was only able to have cavity wall insulation in the brick walls. I found that to be a game changer. The cavity wall insulation was done in February 2020. I had the internal ceiling in the bedroom insulated with TLX Gold Multi-foil insulation, which made it warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.. I had the air Source heat Pump installed in June 2020. I am very happy with the ASHP. It heats the water to a nice hot temperature and I don’t even have it turned up to the maximum temperature on the control unit. I would advise people that the radiators do not get as warm as they would with an oil or gas fired boiler, but now that the cottage is better insulated, it is a comfortable 16 to 18 degrees.

California Meadow campsite, Swanage

on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021

California Meadows campsite is set near the spectacular Purbeck coast, and is a haven for wildlife. Previously, the farm was home to quarry men from the local stone industry and the barn was used to shelter the quarry ponies and sheep. The owner has installed 18 ground-based solar panels, with another 18 panels on the adjacent site. These were installed by H2ECO, and await a smart meter installation to receive the generation tariff. As well as offering insights into two large solar arrays, the owner is hoping to have a small archaeological excavation here on site during the same weekend. “Years ago I found flint waste (we are not in a flint area) in a layer whilst levelling off an area to install a lunge pen. The flints went off to DCC archaeology officer who confirmed possibly late neolithic/bronze age waste. The lunge arena was built and stayed until a few years ago.

Conifers, Lyme Regis

on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021

A tired 1979 bungalow transformed into a light filled family home. Conifers has recently undergone extensive refurbishment and extension. The old gas boiler has been replaced with two air source heat pumps, and along with solar panels on the roof of the main house now provide the heat and energy. Underfloor heating features throughout the first-floor accommodation, and an EV Charger is also installed. Conifers now benefits from excellent eco-credentials, with an EPC rating of ‘A’, a far cry from the original EPC of ‘E’. Plenty of cul de sac on road parking. Conifers is a Finalist in the Best Refurbishment Category in The 2024 Housebuilder Awards Book on Eventbrite

Eastney, Weymouth

on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021

This house is not taking part in the Dorset Greener Homes event this year. A Victorian house built in about 1885 in the Rodwell area of Weymouth. We are in the middle of a 2-stage retrofit project - insulation, solar panels (x33) and air source heat pumps (x3). We are doing our own project management. The project has received advice from Low Carbon Dorset, was partly grant funded by monies from the European Regional Development Fund and has qualified for the Government RHI scheme. Phase 1 was completed in 2021 - x10 B&B rooms were converted into 3 self-catered apartments. (Currently home to displaced families from Ukraine). One EV charging point. We reused materials where possible, separated and recycled and tried to select from independent local suppliers with good environmental credentials when buying new. Furniture has been upcycled rather than replaced. The plumber is booked to disconnect the gas in August 2022!

Farndreg Swanage

on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021

In 2017 we moved into our bungalow, which had been built in 1970 and had two extensions since then. We suspected that the original walls did not have cavity wall insulation so we got a survey from Healthy Homes Dorset. The survey confirmed our suspicions and we were delighted to find out that we were eligible for a full grant for the insulation because more than half the property needed insulating and we were over 65. Grants also apply if someone living in the property has certain health conditions or is under five. In 2021 we had solar panels and a battery installed and were able to take advantage of the discounts available through the Swanage Solar Streets scheme. In 2022 we invested in an air source heat pump with the help of the £5K grant through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme. The grant has been increased to £7500 until March 2028.

Gleanings, Milborne St Andrew

on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021

This house is not taking part in the Dorset Greener Homes event this year. Gleanings is a super-insulated, two bedroom, two storey straw bale home. It was completed in late 2016 and one of the many contractors was Phil Christopher, of straw building specialists Huff and Puff Construction (www.huffpuff.me), who are based in Wareham, and who will be your tour guide. The building’s timber-beamed frame sits on gravel-filled car tyre foundations and is otherwise of load bearing straw bale construction. On the ground floor there is an open plan living room and kitchen, along with a bedroom and bathroom. A first floor mezzanine provides a second bedroom and a work/leisure area. Whilst not achieving Passivhaus standard (which is 100% achievable with straw), air changes are reasonably low at around 4.4 changes per hour and ventilation is provided by a non-powered mechanical draft system rather than powered MVHR (mechanical ventilation and heat recovery).

Glenhaven, Bothenhampton

on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021

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. **Directions **Set up DT6 4BU in satnav and proceed down Marrowbone Lane which is unsurfaced at first. We are the last house on the left before the farm at the bottom. Parking is available on site. **Access **The house is accessed via steps and is not suitable for wheelchairs.

Gull-View, Bridport

on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021

This house is not taking part in the Dorset Greener Homes event this year. The house was built in the 1930’s, but when Mary and John moved in, they were determined to lower their energy footprint. Insulation in the loft and an internal wall insulation have reduced heat loss, and roof ‘lanterns’ make use of natural lighting. A 25 kW biomass pellet stove provides hot water and cooking, and new double glazing has sustainable oak frames. Electricity to the house is provided by a 100% renewable supplier Octopus, on the Flux tariff. Solar photovoltaic panels using SolarEdge technology to optimise output when the panels are partly shaded. The electric car is charged with renewable electricity at night using off-peak rates. A Tesla Powerwall battery storage was installed several years ago to make use of electricity generated during the day, through the night. The Powerwall battery is controlled by an app that allow it to charge and discharge, buying and selling electricity at the most favourable rates, thus reducing the overall energy cost.

Hawkers Farm, Stour Provost

on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021

Hawkers Farm House was in a semi derelict state and on the Building’s at Risk Register when Jenny and Neil purchased the farm 15 years ago. 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. Insulation materials used included: sarking board, wool, heraklith, crushed glass and LECA. In addition to the original elm floorboards, limecrete (with underfloor heating), oak, rubber, bamboo and local stone floors have been fitted. A variety of natural paints were used - lime wash, distemper, clay, soya and milk paint. A 14kw PV array has been sited on the East/ West facing barn roofs (almost invisible) and two Sonnen Battery 10s provide 22kWh of battery storage. A ground source heat pump heats water and provide heating for the house.. Rainwater is diverted to fill a pond adjacent to the reed bed sewage system.

Hazelmead Cohousing, Bridport

on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021

For visitors to the site - please note that parts of our site are fenced off for the safety of residents and visitors, and we ask you to respect these precautions. They are where we are building our common house and where C G Fry is in the final phase of building our homes, shed, roads and paths. Bridport Cohousing (BC) is working in partnership with Bournemouth Churches Housing Association (BCHA) to construct 53 dwellings near Bridport Community Hospital at the North West of the town. There are seven south-facing terraces of two-, three- and four-bed family houses, and two two-storey apartment blocks of one-bedroom flats for single or double occupancy. Half of the homes are available for social rent through our housing association partner, BCHA. The other half are for shared ownership either at 80% leasehold purchase, or through the Government’s Help to Buy scheme. Designed to be affordable, high quality, energy efficient, climate resilient and nature friendly, the part of Hazelmead that has so far been handed back to BC is managed by the community itself.

Knap Swanage

on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021

Welcome to our home. As you walk along the road, ours may seem like just another ordinary bungalow, but once you go through the gate and up the steps (only a few), you will soon see this is a wonderful space for me and some of my friends. If it is hot, you may see me flying around gently perching every now and then on a flower to gather nectar or pollen (my favourites at the moment are anemones) or stopping at the bird bath for a drink of water. My human guardians have planted a large range of early flowering trees and shrubs, perennial plants and bulbs that flower just about all year round as the winters are quite mild here in Swanage. This helps us enormously as we can forage close to home. We do however like to go into the neighbours gardens too and you may find us near the Downs or at Durlston Country Park.

Marles Farm Beaminster

on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021

Marles Farm was purchased in 2014 by Katie and Sebastian King. It had been empty for over 2 years, was very overgrown and the fabric of the building was in desperate need of care before falling into further disrepair. The farm consists of an extensive renovation of a 200-year old farmhouse, brought up to modern standards of insulation and comfort; re-built stables and dairy buildings converted into another house; and a renovated traditional barn. Both houses now share a private water supply, filtered and treated from the onsite well; and a 25kW wood pellet boiler, fed from an automatic system in the barn. 9.7kW Solar panels supply both properties and have 20kW battery storage. Hot water is provided in the summer via myEnergi Eddi in both properties and there is also a Zappi car charger. Site monitoring and automation is via opensource Home Assistant. Farmhouse The old farmhouse has been restored by local craftsmen using traditional materials and techniques but also updated with modern insulation, underfloor heating and wood pellet boiler.

Marnhull Village Hall

on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021

The hall was extended and refurbished in 2020 with 8 kW of panels installed on the south facing roof and insulation to the latest standards. The hall also hosts recycling bins on Saturday mornings and a Repair Café widely used by both villagers and people in the neighbouring towns. There are plans to install a battery and improve the insulation in the older parts of the buildings. www.marnhullvillagehall.org.uk

Proctors Sherborne

on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021

We renovated this 1920s home in 2021. We have tried to maintain the period feel so we have solar panels on the side elevation, a battery, and Reynaer’s aluminium double glazed windows and doors. We have worked hard on insulating the property, including insulated plasterboard, which has made a huge difference to the comfort and economy of the home. Open by Appointment all the year round. Contact Kim by email kim.close1@btinternet.com.

Quarry Lea, Sherborne

on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021

This house is not taking part in the Dorset Greener Homes event this year. Quarry Lea is a 3/4 bedroom detached house built about 25 years ago. It had an old gas boiler which needed replacing and we decided to grasp the nettle and put up solar panels, install a heat pump, optimise insulation and replace the first generation pvc windows with more efficient and beautiful double glazed aluminium windows.

Sailcloth House, Bridport

on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021

Near Passive-house with Timber frame Sam and Sarah lived in an old mill house in the Bride valley, but felt that driving into Bridport two or three times a day was not sustainable, and decided to move into town. The Christian Science building had been vacant for 10 years, and they demolished it to build a house with two flats, which are rented out. Watch our Short Film of Sailcloth House here: The building is made of structurally Insulated panels (SIPs) made of wood, and filled with sustainable wood fibre insulation (Pavaflex), with further wood fibre boards (Steico) on the outside. Part of the house is clad with Siberian Larch, the rest has a Baumit system lime render.The windows are triple glazed windows filled with inert gas. The house is near passivhaus standard, with an EPC efficiency rating of A (97). This building is air-tight, with Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) preheating the fresh air from the expelled stale air.

Shaftesbury Homegrown, Shaftesbury

on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021

Shaftesbury Homegrown is a community group who grow food seasonally as naturally and sustainably as we can. At our field on the edge of town a changing group of volunteers have shared farm tasks, learned new skills and enjoyed good company for more than 12 years. We currently have a range of wooden buildings, 3 small green houses, a polytunnel and a compost toilet. We harvest rainwater from shed roofs but can supplement that from a mains supply. As well as growing salad crops, fruit and veg we have chickens (for eggs) and keep bees (taking some honey but mainly for pollination). We’re currently developing options for keeping the chickens safe from bird flu and foxes without restricting their freedom too much. We’re open to new members who want to grow food with like-minded people. Members get a discount (proportional to the hours worked) on seasonal produce. We work on any or all of Wednesday, Friday and Sunday mornings from 10am - 1pm and are open to establishing additional work sessions if the number of volunteers merits it!

Shire End West, Lyme Regis

on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021

Shire End West is at one end of a terrace of three Grade II Listed Victorian properties situated off Cobb Rd in an elevated position overlooking Lyme Regis Harbour. Following a recent renovation the property now features a strikingly modern single storey extension juxtaposed with the original historic house. The grounds extend to around two acres, mostly of mature woodland. On your visit you will be able to learn about retrofitting a listed building, sheep’s wool insulation, solar control glazing, energy and cost saving measures, sustainable wood burning, no-dig veg & flower growing and composting. . The Shire End West project demonstrates that it is possible to work within the constraints of conservation to upgrade a thermally inefficient Listed building whilst retaining the historic fabric. Please book your visit on Eventbrite

Solar PV House, Weymouth

on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021

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. The house was previously a cannabis factory and when Jason and Janne bought it the house was in semi-derelict condition. Jason writes: “the changes we made were: Insulation to internal walls, new flat roofs, living room slab and the raised ground floor. Insulated wooden loft and rear bedroom structure clad in standing seam steel and rubber EPDM (Building Regs. 2016) Removed the gas supply. Installed double glazing including south facing glass ‘curtain’ for passive solar heating in winter and passive stack cooling in summer with electric skylight at top of stairwell. Installed a 350L thermal store heated by a 6.4KW building integrated PV system with east, south, west arrays. The PV is thin film CIGS ( copper indium gallium selenide) stuck to standing seam steel walls and EPDM (synthetic rubber) flat roof covering.

South View, Langton Matravers

on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021

Welcome to South View. It was built in 1928 and there are a few challenges in turning it into a more sustainable house, but we are trying! We had 16 Sanyo Solar Photovoltaic (PV) panels with a total capacity of 3.76KW installed 12 years ago, which have been extremely worthwhile. We also have a Solar Thermal array (with 20 Barilla glass evacuated tubes) which helps with our hot water needs by directly heating our hot water tank via a closed loop system and a glycol/ water mix. In January 2023 we installed an Eddi unit which automatically tops up our hot water when there is enough solar being produced from the panels, and a Zappi which intelligently charges our electric car when there is surplus solar electricity. These can be monitored and controlled from our mobile devices if necessary. In addition to this, we fitted three Air- to -Air source heaters which has enabled us to heat our downstairs living space very economically, often using our solar PV supply.

Springfield House, Waytown

on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021

Springfield house was built in 1989. When Yvonne and Grahame bought it in 2009, they set about making it a warmer and more efficient home. The couple also use land attached to the house to keep hens, and raise pigs and sheep. Grahame, following a long career in broadcast engineering, studied for an MSc in Renewable Energy from the Centre for Alternative Technology in 2007 and then worked as a solar panel installer around Bridport. His expertise allowed him to do some of the work himself and specify exactly what he wanted in the house. He is now working part time as a battery installer, so his expertise is fully up to date. The cavity walls were filled with Graphite-coated polystyrene beads, and the roof insulation was thickened, at relatively little cost but with noticeable effects. The conservatory, which was too cold in winter and too hot in summer had its roof replaced with insulated slate.

The Barn, Charlton Down

on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021

Graham & Anabel bought a 25 year old derelict steel framed barn to convert into their dream home. Although they had no previous building experience they project-managed the conversion themselves with a hands-on approach. Watch our Short Film of The Barn here: The conversion included removal of the old roof and walls and wrapping the whole barn in 150mm pre-insulated (Kingspan galvanised steel) panels, to provide a weatherproof and highly insulating shell. One aim was to repurpose all materials on site to eliminate expensive haulage. The strict permitted development criteria dictated the shape and overall look of the barn as well as retaining the original steels. The building is further insulated on the inside with 150mm of insulating wool and has passivhaus triple glazed windows throughout. The building has Mechanical Ventilation and Heat Recovery (MVHR) which uses the heat of any expelled air and water to preheat the fresh air coming in.

Threshold Cohousing Gillingham

on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021

The Threshold Cohousing Community was set up about 13 years ago with the aim of being an example of a sustainable lifestyle, both in terms of the environment and a different way of living. It comprises 14 properties, including the original farmhouse and various barn conversions, plus an acre of rented land for veg and fruit growing, recreation and wildlife. Hot water and heating are provided to all properties via a large biomass boiler, which at the time was one of the first to be installed and was considered to be very eco friendly, although now not so much….! Sewage is dealt with via a biodigester in the centre of our village green area, which again is environmentally friendly and produces clean water at its outlet, with which we can safely water our vegetable plots. Rainwater is collected from guttering into 3 large tanks plus various small tanks around the site, as well as from guttering on our 2 large polytunnels.

Watercleaves, Bridport

on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021

John and Debbie turned their former nursery school 2 acre site into a community resource. John’s particular skill is finding second-hand materials and repurposing them in creative ways, while Debbie has a gift for designing and planting cosy natural spaces for human activities and wildlife diversity. Watch our short Film of Watercleaves Here: Many of the wooden windows in their house are delapidated. John’s solution has been to screw polycarbonate sheet as double glazing on the outside of the windows. These not only prevent further rot, they also appear to work more effectively than the few UPVC replacements in stopping condensation and insulating the house. This DIY solution cost only £300 to rescue all the wooden windows in the house. John fitted his first solar 4kWp PV panel array in 2012, using a simple German mounting method called the Hamburg Roof – but using repurposed roofing from a skittle alley. The panels are slotted in flush with the tiled roof rather than being clamped to a rack above it.

Weavers, Sturminster Newton

on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021

Weaver’s House was built in 1974, and the previous owners had done some cavity wall insulation, but the windows were still single glazed and draughty. Ros and Tim have been investing in eco improvements at Weaver’s House since the 1990s. New double glazed windows have been fitted throughout, external insulation on the gable wall and internal insulation on an inner wall. Insulation has been added whenever changes were made to the house, including the second floor main bedroom. Curtains purchased more recently have been interlined and blinds complement the lighter weight curtains. External blinds have been fitted to the Velux roof lights. In 2011 4 kW solar panels were fitted on the main house roof. In 2020 further panels, 4.78kW, were fitted on the garage roof along with a Tesla battery. We have an Evahot cooking range to provide additional electric heating to the kitchen and utility area of the house.

West Drive, Uplyme

on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021

A 60’s three-bedroom split-level house reconfigured, renovated, insulated, and extended replacing oil-fired central heating with ASHP, solar panels and underfloor heating. The reconfiguration moved the kitchen to provide a large open plan kitchen/living room connecting with the south-facing garden in the contrasting extension whilst retaining the key 60’s features, including the original living room of the original house. Future intended improvements include adding a battery, EV charging point and rainwater storage along with landscaping. Please book your visit on Eventbrite

Westfield house, Puncknowle

on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021

This house is not taking part in the Dorset Greener Homes event this year. When Ray built the large extension on their house he wanted a comfortable but very efficient building; he chose high thermal standards for the thermal block walls and Argon filled double glazing with low-E glass. The flat upstairs is so well insulated that it only requires 1kW to heat it on the coldest days. A 35kW wood pellet boiler with hot water storage tank warms the house, and a system to divert excess generated electricity to heat water (ImmerSUN). Ray is an electrical engineer and inventor, developing energy-saving technology with his company, Acrogen. He uses his home as a test-bed for ideas, with several energy-saving schemes which he seeks to improve. A 10kWh battery backup operates at 48V and an Eddi system diverts spare PV-generated electricity to his hot water tanks. Smart switching allows them to use their generated power to the maximum.

Weymouth Passivhaus

on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021

This house is not open for the event dates but can be visited at other times through the passivhaus open days programme. Completed in 2017 Weymouth Passivhaus is a 4 bedroom family home certified to Passivhaus classic standards and registered as ID 5290 on the International Passivhaus Database . Built using a bespoke timber frame pre-cut off site and assembled on site in 6 weeks it has 300mm & 350mm I beams fully filled with cellulose (100% recycled newspaper) insulation. It has triple glazing, a 100% recyclable zinc roof, an integrated MVHR system. The home achieved 0.4/h air changes per hour in its final air test. Its annual heating demand is 10kWh (m2a) using PHPP thermal modelling. Due to its south facing orientation the house optimises solar gain. In the winter months the internal temperatures remain at a stable 19 degrees throughout the day and night even when external temperatures are sub-zero.

Wood Cottage, Weymouth

on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021

Thatched cottage with heat pumps and solar PV on garage. Originally two cottages built in the 1800s, with a 1980s extension. We replaced calor gas heating with two Mitsubishi Ecodan heat pumps in 2021/2022, installed new radiators throughout and improved the insulation including new double glazed timber windows. In 2023 we installed solar PV panels on the south facing garage roof. Export unused electricity to the grid via Octopus. Wood Cottage is on the South side of Nottington Lane, half a mile from the Brandon Lane turnoff. The google map link is: https://maps.app.goo.gl/B6v9gb929jeFUhmA7 You can visit this home by appointment all the year round Please email dorsetgreenerhomes@gmail.com

Dorset Greener Homes

Questions / Interested?