Owners of eco-homes in Northumberland are opening their doors to the public as part of the North East Festival of Architecture. Tenants, owners and the house designers will be sharing their experiences on how to create new environmentally-friendly and energy efficient homes. The festival, which started on Saturday and runs until June 27, will show people how good design can massively cut their carbon footprint and save them energy. The open house programme will showcase inspirational eco-homes, to see how people have realised their dream designs, reduced their fuel bills and radically greened-up their homes.

For those interested in self-building, an ecological self-build house in Belford is opening its doors on Saturday, June 26, and Sunday, June 27.

Construction of the house began in 2001 with design features including Douglas fir and larch timber from the Scottish Borders to form the post and beam structure and the external cladding, Cumbrian sheep's wool for insulation, and other features including triple-glazed windows, a sedum planted roof, passive solar energy and pot-bellied wood burning stove.

This is a unique opportunity to join the architects and owners for a tour of their home to find out the benefits and challenges of self-building your own eco-home. For more information on the festival and to book a place at events, visit the open house section of the website www.nefa.org.uk or call 0192 2602191.