Eco properties – time running out to grab tickets for first-ever Green Home Festival

With green issues on the agenda more than ever, homeowners wanting to learn more about making their homes more eco-friendly have been urged to secure their tickets for the upcoming Green Home Festival.

The festival begins next week as part of the iconic Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and the clock is ticking for ‘environmentally-aware householders’ who want to learn about heat pumps, electric vehicles, sustainable materials, transforming traditional buildings and more in the event put together by the Construction Industry Collective Voice (CICV).

The organisers say the last few tickets are still available for the week of shows starting on Monday 8 August, which will aim to deliver practical assistance and expert advice to help homeowners transform their homes and turn Scotland into a net zero nation.

The five-day event, set to be opened by Scottish Government Minister Patrick Harvie, will include a dozen in-person and virtual presentations on green topics, targeting homeowners, professionals, housing associations and local authorities.

The organisers say topics of particular interest include: 

• Demystifying heat pumps – a fascinating demonstration of the future of home heating and what kind of homes it’s suitable for

• Protecting against floods – flooding and its impact on people and buildings and how to access support and resources to protect your property

• Hitting the road with EVs – what to consider when choosing an EV, current models and how to go about installing an EV charge point at your home

• Retrofitting a tenement – how renewable renovations can reduce heating costs and cut carbon emissions in Scotland’s traditional buildings

• Living safely in the future – the potential dangers of the domestic gadgets of tomorrow – and how we can ensure our high-tech homes are safe to live in.

There will be live sessions held at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) at 10 Charlotte Square in central Edinburgh, with six other sessions also available online via webinar.

“Tickets for the Green Home Festival are going fast and we have been encouraged by the interest shown by homeowners, which shows the level of awareness by people preparing for the transition to net zero,” one of the organisers, Gordon Nelson, Scotland Director of the Federation of Master Builders, said.

“The events will help householders understand new technology and we are aiming to make this inaugural event an annual occasion that will help to build a long-term legacy and demonstrate our commitment to greener, low-carbon solutions.”

John McKinney, co-organiser and secretary of the National Federation of Roofing Contractors, added: “We are really looking forward to sharing ideas through the Green Home Festival and we hope that as many people as possible will take the opportunity to book their place at some, or all, of the events.”

He added: “The climate emergency, net zero and soaring energy prices are the driving factors behind this event, and our aim is to engage the public and businesses in the global challenge, offering demonstrations and hands-on guidance.”

The full details on the festival, including how to book tickets for each event, can be seen here.  

The CICV was created at the start of the pandemic in March 2020 and the above festival is the latest in a string of practical and constructive initiatives launched by the group since then.

The group, comprised of 29 trade associations, professional services bodies and companies, has maintained a steady supply of information and practical advice to the sector as well as carrying out surveys, producing animations and posters, hosting webinars and maintaining close dialogue with Scottish Government ministers.