Open Homes Weekends

Our two Open Homes Weekends, held in 2010 and 2012, saw homes across Southampton open their doors to the public to showcase a range of energy reducing, eco-friendly features and tips. The weekends enabled visitors to see what’s possible and get unbiased opinions from people who had already made changes to reduce their energy use. Features on display across the city included:

  • Growing your own food
  • Composting 
  • Rainwater harvesting
  • Solar water heating
  • Home insulation
  • Solar energy production
  • Recycling and waste reduction
The Open Homes Guide provided a map and description of all the homes on display

Our Goals

  • Showcase what ordinary people in ordinary homes have done to reduce their energy requirements
  • Demonstrate energy reduction techniques and technologies across a range of areas (e.g. energy production, heating, water saving)
  • Share knowledge and ideas for greening homes

The Results

  • Four days across two weekends (in 2010 and 2012)
  • Approximately 15 homes took part in each event
  • Inspired attendees to make changes in their own homes 

Get Involved – Volunteers Needed

We always welcome more volunteers to help with current and previous projects so get in touch if you’re interested in being part of a team to organise the next Open Homes Weekend.

The Open Homes guide included tips for saving energy at home and became the starting point for our Sustainable Living Guide

Some of our members have blogged about greening their homes:
From gas boiler to air source heat pump
Rainwater flushing