Transition Town Kingston

Local residents who have improved the energy-efficiency of their homes and reduced their energy bills will open their homes to visitors interested in doing the same, answer their questions, and dispel some of the misinformation around. Do you really have to change all your radiators when you install a heat-pump? Does insulation make your house hotter in summer? Would you like to hear what a heat-pump sounds like? Do solar panels only work in the summer? Is a battery worth installing? How do you ventilate your house without wasting heat? Is it possible to grow flowers and edibles in a nature-friendly way? Would you like to talk to a householder who isn’t trying to sell you something?

Weekend openings include 4 retro-fitted houses of different styles, sizes and vintages in different parts of Kingston. Today's are larger older houses, fairly typical of Kingston's housing stock - see Saturday Open Eco-House Weekend to visit a more modern house.

Sunday morning: 5-bedroom Surbiton house - 60% 1930 solid brick, 30% 1994 narrow cavity wall extension, 10% 2012 kitchen extension with underfloor heating. EPC D grading only. 12kW heat pump, 21 solar panels and 27kWh of battery storage installed during 2024, with a Homely smart controller. More details at https://thedglblog.substack.com/
Opening times: 9.00 – 10.00 am, 10.00 – 11.00 am , 11.00 am – 12.00 pm, 12.00 - 1.00 pm
Contact news@ttkingston.org to reserve an hour's visit, and receive address and directions.

Sunday afternoon: 1901 Victorian brick detached 5-bedroom home with 2014 loft conversion and insulation, 2025 rear extension and insulation, underfloor heating on the ground floor, new radiators first floor, air source heat pump in the garden, solar panels, external battery storage, car charger, anti-solar-heat glazing and blinds/screens to south facing glass, ‘natural’ garden when it recovers(!)
Opening times: 1.00 – 2.00 pm, 2.00 – 3.00 pm, 3.00 – 4.00 pm, 4.00 – 5.00 pm
Contact news@ttkingston.org to reserve an hour's visit, and receive address and directions.