Green Doors day is a winner

Dec 9 2011 by Donald Morton, Stirling Observer Friday

MORE than 70 people took part recently in Scotland's first "Green Doors" event.

Householders who have invested in energy-saving installations threw open their homes to visitors.

It was organised by Going Carbon Neutral Stirling (GCNS), which is part of the Scottish charity Keep Scotland Beautiful.

Expert and impartial advice was available about the pros and cons of topics such as the feed-in tariff, solar PV and biomass boilers.

Householders from Stirling, Bannockburn and Kippen, who have already taken the plunge were happy to share their experiences, whether good or bad, on the day.

The idea has proved a major success in places such as Bristol and Brighton but this was the first time it has been tried north of the border.

"It was very useful to see the renewables in practice, in situ, and to be able to question the people who live with them," said one visitor.

Another was pleased to be able to see examples of how to insulate solid walls "without being too disruptive".

He had visited one of the homes in Douglas Terrace, Stirling, where he picked up good ideas about shutters and thermal curtains.

As well as visiting the individual homes, many people also called in to "Green Doors HQ" at St Ninians Old Parish Church where information on the full range of energy-saving installations was available.

This included double glazing, roof and loft insulation, solid wall insulation, efficient boilers/heating systems, solid fuel stoves, ground and air source heat pumps, external wall insulation, micro combined heat and power (CHP) boilers and wind turbines.

"I'm thrilled that so many people found the event so useful," said organiser Simon Gooden, of GCNS. "Hopefully this will give people the knowledge and confidence to install energy-saving measures in their own homes."

For more information, contact Simon Gooden on 01786 468762 or visit the dedicated website at gcns@ksbscotland.org.uk