Eco homes in Chesterfield and Peak District set to open their doors for visitors this weekend

Eco homes of all shapes and sizes will be open to the public on Saturday, October 7 and Sunday, October 8, in events organized by Hope Valley Climate Action and Transition Chesterfield. The events are designed to provide advice and encourage home owners to reduce their carbon footprint and energy bills.

Lisa Hopkinson, from Transition Chesterfield, said: “Visiting an eco home is a great way to find out about the reality of getting solar panels, insulation, triple glazing, or air source heat pumps without talking to a salesman. You can have a good look at the insulation or technology, ask the residents whether the installation was a hassle, and find out much they’re really saving on their energy bills as a result.”

The homes in Hope Valley and the Chesterfield area range from older stone houses, through 1950s terraced homes to modern brick properties, with a variety of energy-saving improvements.

‘Eco Homes’ don’t have any standard definition but all selected homes have been modified by their owners to improve their energy efficiency. This weekend the properties will show a range of improvements from large-scale projects such as internal wall insulation, air source heat pumps and solar panels to small but effective measures costing little money. The owners will be on hand to chat about their experience in creating more eco-friendly homes.

Steve Platt, from Hope Valley Climate Action, added: “People appreciate the need to insulate their homes but are discouraged by the cost and disruption. That’s why it’s so important to provide examples. Showing people what can be done is powerful. Explaining how we went about upgrading our homes, what worked, and what we’d do differently and answering their questions is useful and motivational. A live visit is worth a thousand Google searches.”

There will be around nine homes open in and around Chesterfield at set times over the weekend for visits. Online booking closes at 5pm the day before the homes are open.

A mini home exhibition, will also be hosted on Sunday, October 8am from 11 am to 3pm, in Hathersage village centre, explaining benefits of improvements such as insulation, modern low-carbon heating systems and solar panels. No booking is required.