Sustainable House Day comes to our area again this year on Sunday 12th September. From 10am to 4pm the Border Eco Living Program will host four open houses showcasing different approaches to improving sustainability. All four homes are in Wodonga and are different to the three Albury homes that opened last year.

If you’re thinking about improving your home’s energy, water or waste management efficiency, speaking to homeowners about their own experiences is a must. Seeing real sustainable projects in action, and learning what worked well and not so well, will help save you time and money.

There will be plenty of information available on the day, including from the householders themselves, brochures from sponsors, and local community groups on hand at many of the homes to provide you with tips on sustainable living.

There are sure to be many inspirational ideas to adapt to your home. When else can you visit an earth sheltered home, a home made from Styrocon, a home where the electricity bill is in credit and another where they’ve made running their pool cheaper and more environmentally friendly, all in Wodonga on the same day? There are plenty of other features to check out as well.

Entry to the houses is free. For house locations and more details visit www.sustainablehouseday.com/victoria.php and scroll down to the Wodonga houses. More detail can be found via the ‘info sheet’ link for each home. Or click on the photos of the homes below.

If you'd like to get into the spirit of the day, perhaps you'd like to cycle to the homes?

It's just 7.4 km to visit all four homes - that's less than driving between them, because you can take advantage of the parks, cycle paths and quieter streets. (You do need to get to the first home, and home from the last one - don't forget to add that in!). A map of a suggested route is at http://bit.ly/SHDcycle.

Visit as many or as few homes as you fancy, in the order of your choice. No booking required.

An earth sheltered home with veg growing on the roof

 Help with cooling from Willow Park, excellent solar passive & zoned

 Unit built from Styrocon, smart use of a small space, extra insulated  Solar passive, photovoltaics and reducing the energy & water requirements of a pool