George Marshall, coordinator of green open house scheme, pictured with his familyen

More than a dozen eco-houses across the county are opening their doors to the public in a bid to encourage more people to build into their homes some environmentally friendly features. Reporter Fran Bardsley takes a sneak preview If eco-friendly living makes you think about Barbara and Tom in The Good Life, think again.

In a bid to encourage more people to build environmentally friendly features in their homes, 18 eco-houses across Oxfordshire will be throwing open their doors in the biggest event of its kind in the country.

The houses include ex-council houses, newly built straw-bale houses and Victorian semi-detached townhouses.

George Marshall, co-ordinator of the event, which takes place on Saturday and Sunday, said he hoped more than 1,000 people would visit the properties over the weekend.

He said: "The Government is trying to get people to change the way they live but they're not providing anything inspiring, exciting or interesting.

"We think people can be really inspired by seeing things with their own eyes and talking to people who have had it done.

"There is a huge interest in this. A lot of people want to do things and want to find out what to do and wonder if it's worth it. They're also scared about the cowboys out there."

And Mr Marshall will be speaking from personal experience.

Andrew Ainsley, left and Lisa Swinburn, right, with Ainslie Aspery outside the mental health charity Restore's straw-bale house

Over six months last year, he completely eco-renovated his dilapidated terraced ex-council house in Meadow Lane, Oxford, with solar panels, grey water recycling, insulation, a turf roof and recycled and eco materials - cutting energy consumption by 60 per cent.

He said: "The cost of all the eco-work we did was really not much more than the cost of doing it anyway.

"The main message we want to get across is that this is possible. A lot of people think it's too hard, but you really can do it.

"I want people who need to spend money on their homes to think about eco-renovation. It's a really smart and desirable thing, not just for hippies or hardcore greens, but something anyone can do."

Green councillors Elise Benjamin and Craig Simmons have been transforming their 1890s' home in Magdalen Road, Oxford, for the past five years.

Their semi-detached house has solar panels, advanced heating controls and a windmill - and there are plans for further renovations.

Ms Benjamin said: "There are quite a lot of people who argue that the best way to do it is new-build, but we want to show people that it's not that difficult.

"Our house is still a work in progress - we are planning to do a lot more.

"It's very important to do this. We can hang around and wait for the Government to make decisions, but everybody has to play their part - and long-term it saves bills."

Mental health charity Restore, in Manzil Way, Oxford, built a straw-bale house for its Beehive gardening and woodwork project.

Beehive co-ordinator Ainslie Aspery said: "We took a year to build it and the people who built it were all service users of the mental health service.

"Most had never done construction in their life before.

"What it generated was a fantastic feeling of achievement and it did a lot of people a lot of good.

"It was important for us to do it because it was eco-friendly and that represents a contribution to society, rather than just buying a big shed."

The houses open to the public are: Beehive, Manzil Way, Cowley Road, Oxford: Straw-bale walled, grey water system, natural dam' floor 41 Magdalen Road, Oxford: Solar panels, advanced heating controls, windmill 34 East Street, Osney Island, Oxford: Heat pump, solar collectors, sun space, solid wall insulation 36 Harpes Road, Sunnymead, Oxford: Evacuated tube solar panel, condensing boiler, thermal sempatap on walls and ridged radiator foil for insulation 28 Harpes Road, Sunnymead, Oxford: solar panels, insulated loft, double-glazing 55 Henley Avenue, Oxford: Garden office and spare room built from straw-bales and recycled materials, with wood burner and compost toilet 15 Holyoake Road, Headington, Oxford: Edwardian house renovated for warmth, comfort and 50 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions Windmill Barn, Cassington Road, Yarnton: Rainwater irrigation system, water pump for house and garden Church Cottage, Woodstock: Renovations with eco-materials including sheep's wool insulation, reed board insulation and an energy-efficient wall heating system Lower Watts House, Park Street, Charlbury: Features and super insulation make this house, built in 1993, use a quarter of the energy of a home its size 45 Trinity Street, Oxford: Solar panels, sheep's wool insulation, solar conservatory, triple glazing, condensing boiler 39 Radcliffe Road, Oxford: External wall insulation, recycled triple-glazed windows, superinsulated loft, south-face solar windows, heat recovery ventilation, solar panels 11 Harpes Road, Sunnymead, Oxford: Solar panels 44 Iffley Turn, Oxford: 18th century listed villa with wood pellet heating, rainwater harvesting, insulation and heat exchange ventilation unit The Yellow House, 377 Meadow Lane, Oxford: Solar panels, grey water recycling, external insulation, turf roof Piccadilly Back Way, Great Haseley: 17th century cottage with wood boiler, breathable eco-insulation systems, underfloor heating, thermal mass to store heat, solar panels and advanced eco materials 16 Jack Straw's Lane, Headington, Oxford: Solar hot water system, solar panels, low-energy lighting, improved insulation, advanced heating controls 9 Dudley Court, Rogers Street, Oxford: Insulation, wood frame double-glazing, energy-efficient appliances, natural materials.

6:31pm Tuesday 20th November 2007

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