Dorset Greener Homes
Event Dates - 20th, 21st, 27th and 28th September 2025
We all want to reduce our carbon footprint and environmental impact, and also save money on our bills. But there is so much confusing information out there, it is difficult to know where to start and it can feel like everyone is trying to sell you something.
DGH asks private householders to open their homes for a day. They have all made steps to make their homes more energy-efficient. Some are new-builds designed to passive house standard, but others have had low cost eco-retrofits, with better insulation or low-carbon heating systems, or with wildlife friendly gardens, or with solar panels and batteries. Visitors can come and talk to the householder about the decisions they made, what worked, how much they spent and how much was saved. The advice is entirely impartial and tells it as it is.
Are heat pumps noisy? Do they only work if the house is super-insulated? Can I put PV panels on a west facing roof? Is an electric car more trouble than it is worth? Should I get a home battery to protect me from power outages? How long will it take to pay the cost through savings? Won’t insulating my house make it feel stuffy and damp? Can I build using low-impact materials?
You will get answers to all these questions from our enthusiastic and knowledgeable hosts.
Dorset CAN coordinates the Dorset Greener Homes Event as part of our Low Carbon Neighbourhoods initiative across Dorset to showcase ideas for greener living.
Many Homes are ‘Open by Appointment’ all year round
Some of our homes are open all year round by appointment - use the map on the listings page to filter and find homes that you can arrange to visit at your convenience outside of the main event dates.
We have also created a few short films of a selection of houses with varying features, so if you can’t make any of the open days you can view some of the houses and their associated features here.
Get an inside peek at the systems and processes involved as the homeowners walk you through what features they have installed and how they work.
The focus is on low cost solutions to cut energy use, reduce waste and save money, as well as looking after nature in your garden. Alongside that are opportunities to view low carbon technologies like solar panels, heat pumps and electric cars.
“We really want people in different kinds of homes to join in – including rented and those run by housing associations as well as privately owned. You may have some great ideas for insulating your home, or saving energy in other ways which add up to a decent cost saving at this time of high fuel bills” said Sam Wilberforce, one of the organisers.
“Maybe you’ve got a wildlife garden full of insects, a sustainable vegetable garden or creative ways of saving water – we’re looking for ideas that other people can use in their own homes to benefit our environment as well as saving money, which many of these ideas will do”.
The event has been running in West Dorset for 11 years, 2023 was the third year it covered all of Dorset - in 2024 homes will again open to visitors as we continue to help homes go greener across the county.
The big event opening all these homes took place in September this year, but if you can’t wait until next year’s open days, many of the homes are open by appointment at other times of the year.
This event has been sponsored by Dorset Community Energy, the organisation behind twenty-four solar installations, one hundred and ninety-eight shareholders, and 1500kW of solar photovoltaic panels on schools, community buildings and hospitals in Dorset.
Disclaimer
We have done our best to make your visit as safe as possible but be aware that it takes place at your own risk. Please mind your step. DCAN and the hosts will do their best to ensure the accuracy of any information we give you, but we cannot accept liability for any errors we may inadvertently make. We are just volunteers!
