Help others make their homes more energy efficient and more comfortable on Sustainable House Day
MRSG’s Sustainable Homes Action Group is proud to announce the return of Sustainable House Day to the Macedon Ranges in March 2023. We’re planning two exciting events:
The popular open house event where householders open their homes, allowing visitors to experience their sustainable homes and learn from their experiences in creating their homes.
A project showcase sharing individual home sustainability projects that could ‘jump start’ a sustainable remodel or inspire some ‘next steps’.
We’re seeking expressions of interest from people excited about low-energy homes and keen to participate in one (or both!) of these events.
We’re also looking for someone who can help us with publicity and social media.
What we’re looking for:
For the Open House event, we’re hoping to include homes of the following types:
Existing home retrofitted for energy efficiency, especially where attention has been given to reducing heat loss and to improving the efficiency of active heating and of hot water. We’re especially keen to hear from renters who’ve made their homes more energy efficient
Home showcasing solar, batteries and self consumption
Small/ budget new build. Possibly a modular or ‘kit’ home
New builds featuring specific building methods or principles (hempcrete, rammed earth, passivhaus, …)
The event will run from 10am-4pm on Sunday 19th March and ideally all the open homes will open for the duration of the event, though there is scope for a reduced period of opening.
It is not necessary for the whole home to be open to visitors. It is also not necessary that the home be “finished”! From our involvement in SHD over several years we’ve learned that no matter where you are on your journey, you can help someone else. Many people are trying to work out how to get started and “finished” homes can be a little overwhelming. Seeing your early efforts is informative and empowering.
The Project Showcase will be exhibited throughout March, including a display or displays concurrently with the Open Homes on Sunday 19th March.
We would love to know more about your projects:
Creating or improving ‘work from home’ spaces that have reduced your need to travel for work
Other projects that have made your home more energy efficient, resulting in greater comfort and/ or lower energy bills
We’re still working out details for this event. We’d like lots of captioned images – perhaps photos ‘before’ and ‘after’ explaining what you did, why and how, the results and benefits and any ‘insider tips’ you can share with others. We’d like to also be able to accept (and display) short video submissions.
If you’re interested to help others on their journey to a more sustainable home by opening your home or showing your project(s), drop us an email and we’ll keep you in the loop as our event plans progress. If you’d like more information to help you decide, let us know and we’ll arrange to catch up by phone or over a coffee.
We can support participants in both events in several ways:
Householders with SHD ‘open house’ experience can share their experience and insights to help you have a successful SHD experience
We can provide suggestions and support in presenting your project for the showcase
We will be providing publicity for the events, through MRSG and other channels. In previous years we’ve used community publications, local podcasts, social media, a stall at the Woodend Farmers Market and a ‘noticeboards’ campaign to raise awareness of the event.
We’ll have a team of volunteers to help with the ‘Open House’ event, greeting and guiding visitors and helping share the load of the many conversations you’ll have with your visitors
Could you help us with publicity?
If you don’t have a project to share, could you help us with publicity and social media? We’re keen to reach people setting up their first homes and/ or first family homes. If you have great local networks including this demographic, a gift for storytelling and communicating with pictures, please email us and show us what you can do.
Sustainable House Day is the Sustainable Homes Action Group’s “flagship” event for the year. It’s a highly impactful event and we look forward to working with an expanded group over the next few months to bring it to fruition.