Public opening own homes to show eco changes

James Bradbury from Chippenham has added a heat pump amongst other things to his home

People who have adapted their homes to make them more eco-friendly are inviting the public in to see the changes.

The Wiltshire Climate Alliance, supported by Wiltshire Council and the Centre for Sustainable Energy, have put together a map of the open houses.

The Green Open Homes Week in the county runs until 17 March.

James Bradbury - who has made changes to his home in Chippenham - said: "I'm keen to counter disinformation and let people see for themselves."

Mr Bradbury has made small changes - such as the four water butts around his home

Mr Bradbury lives in a home that was not originally built to be eco-friendly, but over recent years has made simple changes - like having four water butts - but has also invested around £20,000 in making the house greener.

The most expensive investment was the heat pump, which cost £10,000, with a £5,000 government grant.

He explained that most of us already have a one - in our fridge.

"It's just operating in reverse," he said.

"It cools down the inside of the fridge, but you notice the back of your fridge gets hot. That's where it's moving the heat to - a heat pump for your home does the opposite."

The heat pump was the most expensive investment Mr Bradbury made

He is not sure when they will recoup the cost of the heat pump, which has special plumbing to go with it, but said it keeps the temperature more even.

However, the 12 solar panels are already close to paying for themselves after being installed two years ago on the roof. They were £5,000, while better cavity wall insulation cost the family another £5,000.

"I suppose I'm just a bit of a geek. We don't fly anymore, we eat very little meat so I started looking further down the list at what we could do," Mr Bradbury said.

"I have to try not to think too much about the money. But it is certainly very comfortable in here now and the costs of running it are very low," he added.

Mr Bradbury has found the solar panels to be cost-effective

However, the cost makes changes like this unrealistic for many. Councillor Nick Holder, the cabinet member for climate at Wiltshire Council, said there is grant money available, including £3.6m from central government for homes without a gas boiler.

Many homes will not be eligible for that, but there are national schemes: "There's a boiler upgrade scheme, in which the government can allocate up to £7,500 towards an air source heat pump.

"There are also schemes for warmth insulation, loft and cavity wall insulation. We are [Wiltshire Council] - if you like - an enabler," Mr Holder explained.

There is extensive plumbing in the garage for the heat pump, including a 200 litre water tank

Around 50 homeowners have signed up to let people in, with details on the Green Open Homes website.

Ruth Larkin from the Wiltshire Climate Alliance said: "We have been overwhelmed with interest from Wiltshire people offering to open their homes.

"Homeowners offer a wealth of knowledge and experience in creating more sustainable homes - sharing what went well as well as what they learnt along the way," she explained.

Other examples include an award-winning transformed 1935 bungalow and a new build with insulation made form recycled newspaper.