What's new?:

National Eco-homes Open Day events

How to organise a successful Open Day event...

COIN is now seeking other organisations that would like to replicate
the open house model (or develop their own) in their own area.
Would you be interested in organising an open days event for eco-renovated
or new build eco-homes in your area? COIN is promoting a model, which is
well tested and effective and helping to build a national scheme of
ecohouse open days.
If you are interested we can help you with personal advice,
contacts and a pack containing all the materials you will need.
To order the 'How to do it' pack contact Antonia or George on
toni (at) coinet.org.uk or get more advice and support from our team - by
calling 01865 403334

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU

We can pass on our experience, advice and contacts with other
organisations. We will tell you of any ecohouses that we know of in
your area (and suggest ways that you could find some). We will also
send you an electronic pack containing:

• A spreadsheet for finding houses

• A summary of our experiences and advice

• Leaflet and poster templates

• Financial advice and time guides

• Two page write up template Information packs for participating

householders

• A template press release

• Template feedback forms

You are welcome to use these materials as they are, or adapt them
to your own needs.

We would also welcome anybody interested to be part of our Ecovation case

study list http://www.ecovation.org.uk/htmldesigns/casestudies.html .

You don’t need to be located in Oxfordshire to share your experiences!
Please also pass this information on to any other organisations that
might be interested in hosting an open house event.
More information about the pack can be viewed on
http://ecovation.org.uk/htmldesigns/pack.html
Thanks for your interest! The Ecovation team is looking forward
to working with you!!!

Looking for a Eco-renovation Eco-building project for Channel Five

‘BUILD A NEW LIFE’ IS RETURNING FOR A FOURTH SERIES!

The ‘Build a New Life’ team are looking for hands on people who are
creating their dream home or business.
The producers are particularly keen to hear from those who are moving to
an idyllic part of the countryside to create an eco-friendly house,
whether it be renovating a run down barn or creating a new build, and work
towards a more natural and sustainable way of life.
If you would like us to document your inspirational journey please call
0870 726 8871 or email build@shinelimited.com
For more information see http://www.five.tv/wanttobeontv/buildanewlife/

Past events:

Oxfordshire Open Eco-homes - 11th-14th Sept 2008

As part of Oxford Open doors - The Heritage Open Days event

www.openingdoorsopeningminds.org.uk

Following the great success from November last year, we organized another Ecovation Open Days event in Oxfordshire. This time ran it as part of the Heritage Open Day event 2008 ( www.heritageopendays.org ), which celebrates England's fantastic architecture and culture by offering free access to properties that are usually closed to the public or normally charge for admission. We think that in times of Climate Change eco-renovated and eco-built houses ought to play a major role in this event.

All four days have been very successful, even if the numbers were slightly less compared to last year! Outside Oxford there were around
15 to 20 visitors per house and within the city we had about 50 up to 140 visitors. So all together we presume we had 900 up to 1000 visits spread
out over the whole weekend. We estimate that these visits were made by maybe 400 or 500 individuals

With the Ecovation Open Day event we are:

• Offering people the opportunity to see what Low- and Zero-Carbon
technologies could be applied to homes in Oxfordshire, and gain practical
advice from house
owners
• Increasing the network of Eco-renovators in Oxfordshire
• Increasing the profile of home eco-renovations, to demonstrate what is possible for individual home owners, to stimulate demand in Oxfordshire

The houses will demonstrate:

• environmental renovation
• insulation methods
• renewable energy
• reduced energy bills
• water savings
• waste water recycling
• rainwater harvesting
• green roofs
• natural and recycled materials

Oxon Ideal Green Home Show

Thursday 17th April 6-9pm, Oxford Town Hall

• Findthe advice, products and installers to transform your home

• Speakto suppliers and service providers for eco-renovation, energy efficiency and renewable energy

• Learnfrom people who have eco-renovated their homes: see presentations and case studies showing how local people have achieved up to 80 % reduction in home energy consumption
  Presentations will run 6.15 - 7pm and 8.15 - 9pm

• Linkwith others who want to take the next step with eco-renovation

• Meetpeople in your area interested in eco-renovating their homes, share experiences and info, 7- 8pm

All for £2 suggested donation on the door

For further information, details of case studies and exhibitors, visit www.ecovation.org.uk or call 01865 727911, and ask for Toni.

Ecovation Open Days - November 2007

On November 24th and 25th 2007, 15 houses in Oxfordshire will open their doors to share the techniques and opportunities of eco-renovation. This is a fantastic opportunity to learn from the real experiences of the home owners and see exciting ideas for the future in action.

The houses cover a remarkable range of challenging types-including a garden office, a former council house, a terraced Victorian house, a 17th century cottage in a conservation area, a listed Regency villa, and a 1980’s developer house.

Some of the houses use standard materials that could be bought at any builders merchant. Others use experimental technologies including straw bale and sheep wool insulation, solar panels, wood burners and a heat pump that draws water from the Thames.

This is the largest eco-house open day yet organized in Britain and we hope it can be the model for other regional or national schemes next year.

The event is hosted by COIN, the ClimateXchange and the Sustainable Energy Academy with the support of Mid Counties Co-Op, Thames Valley Energy, Thames Valley Energy Advice Centre and Oxford City Council.

Further details, including specific addresses, will follow soon.

Opening times need to be checked with the individual houses for slight variations, but are generally:

10.00am to 12.00am + 13.00pm to 16.00pm

Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th November

Put the dates in your diary

Come along and be inspired!

We are still looking for volunteers to help out in each house during the event and are still recruiting more houses. If you are interested or would like further information please contact Antonia - toni@coinet.org.uk or call 01865 403334