Do you live in North Dorset and want to save money on your energy bills? Are you thinking of installing renewable energy at home? Want to reduce your impact on the environment or encourage more wildlife into your garden? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then North Dorset District Council’s Eco Homes Event may be the ideal opportunity to find out answers from those who have already done it.

Paul McIntosh, Sustainability Officer for the council, said: “Seventeen homes and projects with eco-friendly features will be open for people to visit over the weekend of Friday 15th to Sunday 17th May and they are all viewable on the websitenorthdorset.green

Booklets are being distributed in many venues across the district with details of the properties. You can also phone or email the project co-ordinator, Kathryn Flint, on 01258 484372 and kflint@north-dorset.gov.uk for help and information.

Venues include a Franciscan Friary, a water mill, farms and many private homes all linked by the desire to meet the challenges of the changing world of energy supply and sustainability.

For example, Sturminster Newton resident Vince Adams is taking his commitment to a more sustainable future well beyond his front gate.

Vince's property will be one of the homes featured in the open weekend. Green energy from the solar panels on his property helps to power an electric car. Electric cars and the charging points to support them are becoming more common and could be an important part of the strategy to reach the 2050 climate change targets.

Not only will they help decarbonise transport, which is more of a challenge than building carbon neutral homes, but they also act as a dispersed storage asset to assist in balancing the grid in the face of rapidly varying demand.

Green transport is especially useful when Vince is making site visits as part of his involvement in the Energize Stur Valley Industrial Provident Society. This is one of many recent start-ups aimed at facilitating both community investment and community benefit from the shift to sustainable and renewable energy.

The garden of his home is also wildlife-friendly. Wild ecosystems are no respecters of man-made property boundaries, and the best wildlife-friendly gardens link local networks of complementary gardens and community spaces, providing wildlife corridors through our urban spaces to maximise biodiversity. By opening their home to visitors Vince and his family are also building the human networks to support the vital nature networks in their area.

There is something for everyone even if you have never given much thought to the energy you use in your home before. If you have, then this might be just the thing to spur you on to a new eco-friendly project.

openhomes.net. Some homes are open to visit all weekend while others have specific open times or need to be booked – please check on the website or in the booklet.”