Kind of hard to believe, as the rain now beats down, but our final Spring open homes weekend was  feast of fun in the sun! We teamed up with Sheffield Friday Night Ride for a gentle tour of 7 open homes – we were delighted to have 50 riders turn up for the ride, who were skilfully shepherded through mini-tours of homes in Meersbrook, Sharrow and Burngreave, and enjoyed refreshments en route in the beautiful garden of our host in Southgrove Road, and afterwards at the Gardener’s Rest pub.

Alongside the bike ride, over the weekend there were other opportunities to visit 7 homes, and many visitors took in several tours on Saturday and Sunday. Lots of questions were asked and contacts made with useful builders, suppliers and installers. The information flowed in all directions as visitors and hosts discussed their energy efficiency projects.  It was great to meet so many people who are so thoughtfully tackling making their home greener.  As we gathered after the final tour of the weekend, at Fireside Housing Co-op, there was a real sense of a developing network of support.

Now our project team are busy putting together a report on our Spring openings, and taking steps to build the network further. If you or your company want to be involved, please use the sign-up form or our contact form to get in touch. We are already looking forward to more events this autumn, and would love to invite you!

The weekend of 16-18 May is another opportunity to learn more about how to green up your home by seeing solutions at homes around the city. Green Homes Sheffield hosts are keen to share their experiences with you and tell the story of how they made their home warmer and greener. It’s the last of our open homes events this spring, with 7 homes open and a staggering total of 27 tours, including a ‘Friday Night Ride’ bike tour of several homes in one evening! On show you can see eco-renovations such as internal insulation, solar PV, solar hot water, triple glazing and more.

We are pleased to announce that in Stocksbridge, Greave House Farm is opening for the first time on Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th. The old dairy and milking parlour have been converted into a really amazing home. This has included under-floor and ceiling insulation, additional roof insulation and wall insulation. The upgrades have also included double and triple glazing, an air source heat pump, and use of recycled wood. The Supertram Link or bus number 57 (catch it from outside Argos in town) can take you there. Please book for a tour here.

Near Ecclesall Road, an 1890s brick-built semi-detached property on Southgrove Road is open for tours on Friday 16th and Sunday 18th May. This typical Victorian property is now more effectively heated by a condensing boiler and solar hot water, with solar electricity too. There is a wealth of information available on how the home’s energy use has been drastically reduced to make it cheaper to run.

Sheffield Friday Night Ride is a friendly monthly bike ride with a theme – their motto is: “We have nothing to lose but our chains”. This month’s ride will visit several Green Homes on Friday 16 May, covering around 10 miles, with lots of support for new riders. Full details at – no need to book for the bike ride, just meet for a 6.30pm start from Barkers Pool.

If you are thinking of doing some home improvements to make your home more energy efficient and affordable, why not book tours of our homes and learn from what others have done? Join our network for more information at www.greenhomessheffield.net and see full listings and book in advance for tours of all 7 homes at http://sheffield.greenopenhomes.net

Over the Bank Holiday weekend 3rd- 5th May Green Homes Sheffield is offering 7 more chances to visit Green Homes near you in Sharrow, Greystones, Crookes, Millhouses, Crookesmoor and Hunters Bar.

These homes are opening their doors for tours and will show off their eco-features to inspire you. Please come along to learn more from householders who have made their homes warmer, more affordable and greener.

At these homes you can see different examples of insulation used, on internal walls, in attic rooms and under floors. Several homes have solar electricity and there are several examples of how to use solar water heating to reduce your gas bills. You can also find out about different options for upgrading or replacing windows to make them more energy efficient.

Mark Wells, our Green Homes host in Crookes commented: “When I started work to insulate my home, I really benefited from other people’s experience to understand what to do and who could help me. It’s great to have the opportunity to share what I’ve learnt along the way. I hope it will help more householders to get work done that makes their home more comfortable and cheaper to run.”

Please book in advance for tours of all these homes at http://sheffield.greenopenhomes.net – homes are open at different times. More events will take place on 16th, 17th and 18th May, with a total of 18 homes open this spring.

… a detached house, a semi and a terrace?? If not, you have the chance to tomorrow, Thurs 24th April, when these 3 homes will open their doors to help you understand how to save energy in your home!

You can book for tours at 12pm, 2pm and 4pm of the detached house on Barnsley Road at   http://sheffield.greenopenhomes.net/266-barnsley-road-open-12-24-april-16-may-10459. The house has many energy-saving features including different kinds of insulation, window solutions and renewable energy.

The work done to make the Victorian semi more cosy and energy efficient is explained in our blog here  – it’s a great example of what can be done from simple DIY to major refurb. There are tours at 12pm, 1.30pm and 3pm bookable here:  http://sheffield.greenopenhomes.net/147-albert-road-open-24-april-and-16-may-10460

And if a terraced house is what you want to see, there is a fine example at http://sheffield.greenopenhomes.net/39-stainton-road-open-24-april-and-5-may-10395. The home has underfloor insulation and internal wall insulation, as well as solar electricity, and there’s a lot to learn about what works in a typical passage-terrace house.    Tours tomorrow at 11am, 1pm and 3pm.

Please book your visits so your host can put the kettle on and be ready to tell you their story!

Following our first Green Homes Sheffield open weekend when 8 homes opened, we’re thrilled to announce that on Wednesday 23rd and Thursday 24th April we have 7 Green Homes open in Burngreave, Greystones, Meersbrook, Stannington, Crookesmoor and Heeley.

These houses have some great eco-features to inspire you – please come along to learn more from householders who have made their homes warmer, more affordable and greener.

On Wednesday 23rd April an extraordinary eco-build house on Shirebrook Road (S8) is open to the public. An impressive biomass boiler stove and rainwater tank are available to observe. In addition, Solar PV and solar thermal energy are also on show. Triple glazing keeps all the heat in really well, to keep it warm and to save money. Come and find out how your home could be made this cosy!

After visiting this new-build why not go to Springvale Road in Crookesmoor to see what part-way through a full programme of green refurbishments looks like! wall insulation, attic room insulation and under-floor insulation have been put in place to reduce energy costs. A condensing boiler and mains pressure hot water cylinder are available to view. On show are refurbished sliding sash windows with double-glazing, and a heat recovery ventilation system is being built as part of ongoing basement refurbishment.

Following this, Green Directions at Townfield Head Farm in Stannington (S6) is a really impressive barn-conversion, and a great family day out. There are two impressive wind turbines, solar PV, and extensive under-floor heating. The household collect weekly energy data and have compiled some remarkable charts of how much energy and money they have saved since 2011. It’s a fascinating demonstration of just how much can be achieved.

The South Yorkshire Energy Centre in Heeley (S2) will also be opening its doors on Wednesday 23 April to show-off its brilliant working features such as a ground-source heat pump, which supplies under-floor heating to the old terraced house. There are also windowpanes in the walls to see different types of internal insulation. Not to mention wind turbines, solar panels and if you’ve got time after all this learning, you could put your feet up in the Heeley City Farm café!

On Thursday 24 April a home on Barnsley Road (S4) will be opening its draught-proofed doors and double-glazed windows to any interested persons. Some great things about this house are the solar PV, the solar hot water system and the condensing boiler. Also, draught-proofing and attic insulation make this large building very comfortable.

Also open on Thursday will be a house on Stainton Road (S11), which has extensive insulation measures. This property is particularly interesting if you also live in a mid-terraced house and want to find out what can be done to make it warmer and cheaper to run.
A house on Albert Road (S8) is also open with under-floor insulation installed from the cellar, secondary glazing and an insulated attic room. There are also some moisture management and draught-proofing techniques to look at. Nearby is another house demonstrating external insulation techniques, which can be viewed at any time. Back in Heeley, the South Yorkshire Energy Centre is open again on Thursday, for anyone who couldn’t make it on Wednesday, or needs more cake!

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Please book in advance for tours of all these homes at http://sheffield.greenopenhomes.net. Homes are open at different times. More events will take place in May, with a total of 18 homes open this spring.

We’re really excited that this weekend our first Green Homes open – do join us if you can! There are 8 homes around Sheffield open over this weekend, and this is the grand tour I’m planning! See http://sheffield.greenopenhomes.net/ to devise your own tour and book your visits.

On Saturday morning I’ll head up to Crookes to see the internal insulation work carried out at 103 Cross Lane, and then trot down the hill to 282 Springvale Road to see more insulation, windows and a new heating system  at this home where work is still in progress.

In the afternoon I’m visiting Burngreave, to see what has been achieved at Brambles Housing Co-op – I think I might learn from their heating system and insulation. Afterwards it’s a short(ish) step to 266 Barnsley Road where I want to understand their solar set-up.

Sunday will be  at least a half-marathon for me, to take in the fascinating new-build eco-home at 113 Shirebrook Road, and have a look at the external insulation at 120 Albert Road nearby. After a return to Burngreave to see the low-impact extension at Fireside, I’ll head out to Stannington to find out about the renewable energy and insulation features that Green Directions have brought to  Townfield Head Farm.
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Not that I’m competitive at all, but if anyone wants to rival my mega-tour, get booking so our hosts know you are coming!  If you can’t join in this weekend, check out our future open days up to 18th May and book ahead…