Saturday 26th September
10:00am to 4:00pm
Start from the Herb Garden Cafe
A Green Open Homes event is an opportunity to visit homes of people who have made energy saving improvements and see if the same thing might work for you. It's a great way to find out about the reality of getting solar panels, insulation, triple glazing, or new heating options without talking to a salesman. You can have a good look at the 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.
This year's event has been organised by Lightfoot Energy Service with support from the Llandrindod Transition group. So far, eight homes have agreed to take part where you can go and see a huge range of energy efficiency measures and talk to the owners about their experiences and reasons for choosing particular solutions.
The information hub for the day is at the Herb Garden Cafe, where expert advice wil be available from a number of suppliers and independant advisors including Severn Wye Energy Agency (SWEA) and specialist renewables installer M Bufton Ltd. Assembly Member Kirsty Williams will also be dropping by during the day.
We recommend you start your day at the Cafe, where you can talk to the experts and make arrangements to visit the properties that will be most relevant to your interests.
The homes that have so far agreed to take part this year include
The Rhiwy, Yew Tree Close, Crossgates
LED Lights, Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery unit (MVHR). Ground Source Heat Pump. Solar Panels with power flow recovery from solar panels. Rainwater Harvesting. Hybrid Car.
Maes y Geidfa, Crossgates
Biomass, collection, storage and logging of (mainly) own managed woodland & managed hedgerow timber. Solar thermal evacuated tube system DIY installed in 1993. Solar PV 20m2 hybrid battery / mains linked array installed 2006 under Clear Skies grant.
Cellws, Llandrindod Wells
Solar PV. Wood pellet boiler which provides central heating and hot water.
Coronation Villa, Tremont Road, Llandrindod Wells
Cavity wall insulation (polystyrene beads). New insulated roof. Replacement glazing. Solar PV. Domestic chicken and home grown veg in the back garden.
The Warren, Cefnllys Lane, Llandrindod Wells
External Wall Insulation. Under floor insulation. Double Glazing. Condensing Gas Boiler. Log Burner. Solar Hot Water, Rainwater Harvesting (5000 litre pumped system).
Trosnant, Park Lane, Llandrindod Wells
Major rennovation to near Passivhaus standards, completed 2014. Draught sealing and airtight testing. External wall insulation. Internal floor insulation. Replacement roof with additional insulation. Windows sizes reduced and triple glazing installed. LED Lights and energy efficient appliances. Mechanical ventilation with heat recovery unit (MVHR). Room-sealed wood stoves. “Winter garden” for solar gain. Solar Hot Water. Solar PV. Rainwater Harvesting. Raised beds, greenhouse, organic gardening and application of permaculture principles, early stages of establishing forest garden.
20 Goylands Close, Howey, Llandrindod Wells
Extra thick loft insulation. Curtains chosen for their draught-proofing value. Double glazing. Low energy lighting. Energy efficient appliances. Hot water and central heating via biomass boiler. 6 solar panels on south-facing roof. Planning to install rainwater collectors.
35 Park Road, Builth Wells
New Build 2010. Highly insulated, airtight timber frame construction. External part timber, part Knauf Aqua panel + thin coat render. Triple Glazing. Low energy lighting throughout. Mechanical heat recovery and ventilation system (MVHR). Condensing mains gas boiler for backup hot water, also supplies back up under floor heating downstairs. Solar water heating, High efficiency wood burning stove. Managed woodland provides all annual fuel needs with excess given to others. Solar PV system. Rainwater harvesting.
15x6 metre rear garden with wood store, greenhouse, raised vegetable and fruit beds, pond, seating, flower/shrub borders.
For more information on the all the homes you can visit go to the Lightfoot website.