One of the largest certified Passivhaus housing projects in the UK will soon be opening its doors to the public. Residents are inviting people to visit their homes and see the highly efficient, energy saving houses in action. At least eight of the 41 Passivhaus, Code for Sustainable Homes Level 6, homes of the Lancaster Cohousing community will be open during the Green Open Homes event on the afternoons of Sunday 26th April and Saturday 2 May from 2-5pm.

The Green Open Homes afternoons will include tours of Lancaster Cohousing, Halton Lune Hydro and the Halton Mill low carbon workspace, all at Forgebank in Halton overlooking the River Lune.

The Forgebank homes and hot water are heated by a biomass district heating system and there are 80 kW of photovoltaics connected via an electricity micro-grid.

In cohousing each household has a self-contained, private home but residents come together to manage their community, share activities and eat together, and to share facilities such as guest rooms and a workshop.

The development is designed to make it easier to live a low carbon, sustainable lifestyle, and to encourage people to get to know their neighbours.

Many things about the cohousing scheme are energy-efficient, not just the Passivhauses themselves... the electricity micro-grid means that the homes share all the renewable energy generated (currently from solar PV, soon to be joined by Halton Lune Hydro), also shared is the biomass boiler which provides heating and hot water to all 41 homes plus Halton Mill.

Visitors will also get the chance to see the recently completed Halton Lune Hydro scheme, the biggest community hydro project in England, at Forge Weir just upstream of the Forgebank homes. It started generating electricity in December with a 100kW hydro-electric turbine.

Halton Mill too will be opening it’s doors: an environmentally friendly and ethical business hub, it is home to an eclectic mix of artists, small businesses and social enterprises. The energy efficient refurbishment and renewables together have improved the energy efficiency of the historic Mill so much that it has been awarded a top “A” Rating Energy Performance Certificate, almost unheard of for an industrial building of this age.

“This is a great opportunity to see and be inspired by all the energy efficient schemes, and the vibrant community of residents, artists and businesses here at Forgebank,” said Chris Coates, from Lancaster Cohousing. “It shows that people working together can really cut their energy use.”

To book a tour visit the website http://www.lancastercohousing.org.uk or contact info@lancastercohousing.org.uk