SUSTAINABILITY
WE TALK TO CAMBRIDGE CARBON FOOTPRINT TRUSTEE TOM BRAGG ABOUT WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THIS AUTUMN’S GREEN HOMES EVENT ECO CAMBRIDGE Make a House an Eco Home
WORDS BY ALEX FICE
ambridge Carbon Footprint (CCF) has been running Open Eco Homes every year since 2010, when then-trustee Andy
The heating crisis brings extra incentive to make home energy savings
Brown came up with the idea after taking inspiration from summer phenomenon Open Gardens. The initiative invites curious individuals to tour properties retrofitted or built from scratch to be as low carbon as possible. It’s a chance to get honest advice from eco-minded homeowners, before taking your own steps to a more sustainable future.
Home heating accounts for around 14% of UK emissions (according to the Institute for Government, 2021). And the Energy Saving Trust states that UK household emissions from heating and hot water need to be reduced by 95% if we are to achieve net zero by 2050. Replacing the high-carbon fossil fuels that currently heat our buildings with low-carbon fuels and technologies will play a fundamental role in hitting these targets –and CCF’s Open Eco Homes events provide the practical guidance needed to make this a reality. “We want to inspire and inform people to make big changes to their own home, in
RENEW Energy
efficiency is not reserved for new builds. This period property (right) has been deeply retrofitted
order to tackle climate change,” says CCF trustee Tom Bragg. “The heating crisis has brought about an extra incentive to make home energy savings. This year, we sense extra hunger for Open Eco Homes.” Running from mid-September to mid-October, there will be various tours and talks held both on Zoom and in person. This edition sees nine properties opening their doors (virtually or physically) to visitors – ranging from a retrofitted 17th-century house boasting a modern extension, to a new build in Whittlesford that’s extremely well-insulated and built to a near-passive standard, with no active heating system required. The hosts will lead you through the tour, with plenty of time to ask questions and receive advice from those who have already undertaken the challenge of making their home more environmentally friendly. Talks will cover a variety of themes aimed at helping people achieve net-zero homes, including a discussion on living with a heat pump, with homeowner and installer perspectives presented. There’s an introduction to the Cambridge Retrofit
SETTING THE STANDARD Eco homes are opening themselves up to the public, to prove what’s possible
70 AUGUST 2022 CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK
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