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.
Open by Appointment all year round Heat Pump Retrofit Lifestyle Changes
Extensive retrofit of a grade 2 Long House through insulation, solar PV, a heat pump and a pellet stove
Heat Pump Solar PV with Battery Lifestyle Changes
Thatched cottage with Air source heat pump, extensive PV panels on outbuilding roofs, wildlife friendly garden
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.
Open by Appointment all year round Heat Pump Solar PV with Battery Lifestyle Changes
A nineties 90s house with added cavity wall insulation; heat pump, solar panels and a battery. Productive and wildlife friendly garden.
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!
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.
Heat Pump Solar PV with Battery Sustainable Materials Lifestyle Changes Retrofit Open by Appointment all year round
A 500 year old building restored using sustainable materials. 14kW PV with 22kWh of battery storage. Ground source heat pump to heat water and provide heating for the house.
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 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.
Solar PV with Battery Lifestyle Changes
Wildlife- friendly garden, new living roofs on the shed and summer house. And if you have time, you can enjoy a slice of honey cake and a cup of tea.