Welcome to our new blog - the greentomato ecohome!

Over the next 6 (probably more…) months, we will write and post photos and videos about our conversion of a Victorian terraced house in West London into a seriously low energy home.

We’re hoping to do such a good job that the house will qualify as a “passivhaus”, which means that it uses less than 15kWh of energy to heat it per m2 per year. The UK average is 130kWh.

As you will find out, it’s a pretty massive job involving amongst many other things super-insulation, triple-glazed widows, making the house airtight and some major engineering works. But one of the things we’re hoping to show is that the amount of work and cost is not all that much more than a normal whole-house renovation.

And most importantly of all, we’re hoping to prove that low-energy houses are not only much more comfortable living spaces than the old clunkers we live in now, but also don’t have to look like a nuclear bunker.

We hope you enjoy coming on this trip with us and feel free to send us suggestions or questions any time you like.

Tom, Sophie and baby Luke

and the greentomato team