Sue Rowlands

A photo of the control panel to an MVHR unit showing external air temperature and incoming air temperature.

Pleasing. The MVHR unit doings its thing last night: external air temperature -3.5degC, incoming air warmed to 19degC by outgoing stale air. #EcoBungalow #passivhaus #passivehouse #enerphit #retrofit #mvhr #zehnder

34. Geeky stats for 2025 Warning: this blogpost contains a lot of geeky detail! Like all Air Source Heat Pumps, the Viessmann has an app to control it and provide feedback. It has a very handy annual analysis of energy use a...

Want lots of geeky detail about Air Source Heat Pump efficiency and space heating demand? You’ve come to the right place! #EcoBungalow #ASHP #PassivHaus #PassiveHouse #EnerPHit #Retrofit #PHPP

What the hell happened to "Fabric First?" A very good question. Has heatpumpification crushed insulation?

It used to be that if you were trying to reduce carbon emissions, you insulated and sealed, what's called "fabric first." Now that we have heat pumps, many are questioning whether fabric-first was the right approach. It's complicated... lloydalter.substack.com/p/what-the-h...

33. Air Source Heat Pump MythBuster Research shows that 94% of UK homeowners with heat pumps are satisfied or extremely satisfied with their heating. This compares to 85% for the most common heating system in the UK, the mains gas boile...

94% of UK Homeowners with heat pumps are satisfied with their heating. Yet social media is packed with claims that they don’t work in old houses, are expensive to run and are noisy. What’s the truth?

New blogpost takes a look at the myths.

#EcoBungalow #Passivhaus #EnerPHit #Retrofit #ASHP

Butterflies, bees and beetles enjoying the evolving meadow. #ecobungalow #passivhaus #passivehouse #retrofit #enerphit #rewilding #sustainable #meadow #nativespecies #bees #butterflies #boston seeds

So many houses in my street with windows open trying to cool down. But if it’s hotter outside than in this isn’t going to work! Dump heat morning and evening, and then keep everything shut for the rest of the day. Graph shows I wasn’t fast enough off the mark this morning! #EcoBungalow #Passivhaus

The MVHR either warms incoming air through the heat exchanger or brings it in at outside temp, bypassing the exchanger. Doing something clever today. Bypass is fully shut (so heat exchanger operating), incoming air ever so slightly cooler. Never seen this before. #EcoBungalow #PassivHaus #Retrofit

Still costing me less to be infinitely more comfortable, so I’m not complaining (much!)

And the numbers are in! A full year’s energy use in the #EcoBungalow following its retrofit. New blogpost reports a spectacular reduction in kWh and a much, MUCH more comfortable home to live in. #passivhaus #passivehouse
#retrofit #enerphit #ashp #mvhr #insulation
www.ecobungalow.co/post/32-a-ye...

FINALLY got a helpful response. It really shouldn’t take this much persistence. And the response of ‘Sorry, at Customer Services we cannot send emails directly to customers’ left me speechless. @flysas.com

31. Micro Rewilding The EcoBungalow project isn’t just about the building: it’s also about making my small plot of land as sustainable as possible. Right from the start, I wanted to find ways for the garden to contribute...

It’s not just about the building! Rewilding the garden is an integral part of the project. As a non-gardener, I’m amazed what I’ve achieved in a year. And surprised at the excitement of each new flower in the meadow! #EcoBungalow #Passivehouse #Rewilding #Retrofit

www.ecobungalow.co/post/31-micr...

Now 4 phonecalls to @flysas.com and STILL not resolved.

@flysas.com My mum died. I missed a flight. Insurance company wants you to confirm no refund has been issued to me. 3 phonecalls, 3 promises of an email. Nothing. At a loss as to what to do to get this simple statement from you. Please help.

Hooray! Yellow Rattle, the ‘meadow maker’. #meadow #yellowrattle #rewilding #passivhaus #passivehouse #retrofit #ecobungalow

Album cover for The Tom Lehrer Collection, 1953-60

Happy 97th birthday Tom Lehrer 🎂

Today, I'll be celebrating the birthday of the greatest musical satirist of the last hundred years. Born in Manhattan in 1928, Lehrer was a mathematician who wrote comedy and satirical songs, and became an international celebrity in the late 50s and early 60s. /1

Signs of Spring! So lovely amongst the shitshow that is the world today. #ecobungalow #rewilding #nativespecies #passivhaus #passivehouse #enerphit #retrofit

For Americans who didn’t get the joy of living through the Truss/Kwarteng budget, this is the point where the government starts to call the stock market left-wing and/or woke.

A photo of Mar Lodge, a grand Victorian shooting lodge near Braemar

A walker standing on a snowy mountain summit

Not enough snow on the Eagle Ski Club trip to Mar Lodge. But great walking and good company: interesting conversations with Penny and Martin, trustees of @thepebbletrust.bsky.social Recommend the trust’s excellent retrofit publication: www.thepebbletrust.org/sustainable-... #ecobungalow #passivhaus

30. Energy use during Winter The EcoBungalow has been through the coldest quarter of the year. It’s far exceeded my expectations in how comfortable it has been. But how much energy has been used to achieve this comfort, and how m...

Latest blog post. Energy use over the winter months: a dramatic decrease compared with pre-retrofit and a corresponding improvement in living comfort. #EcoBungalow #PassivHaus #Passivehouse #EnerPHit #Retrofit www.ecobungalow.co/post/30-ener...

I’m awaiting the first signs of Spring from my rewilded front garden. Will the new mixed native hedgerow burst into life? How’s the yellow rattle doing in the meadow? In the meantime this from #moderntoss made me laugh! #ecobungalow #passivehouse #passivhaus #retrofit #rewilding

Spectacularly terrible communication from Avanti about today’s strike. First an email to cancel the train. Then an automated email telling us that our journey is ‘all ready and sorted’. In what way?! Makes supporting sustainable travel much harder than it needs to be! #avanti #trainstrike

A boulangerie in the early morning in Paris

Good morning Paris! Ready for the least leg of the journey home: Eurostar to London and then onwards to Kendal (Avanti train strike permitting …) #sustainabletravel #gobytrain #skibytrain #skiing #skitouring #train #eurostar

Two ski tourers skinning uphill above a forest

A ski tourer enjoying a powder descent through the trees

Earning my turns! Superb week in the Tyrol with Alpine Guides. Now for the train journey home again. #Tyrol #Tirol #AlpineGuides #skitouring #skiing #sustainabletravel #gobytrain #train

24 hours precisely from London to Innsbruck, including a very pleasant overnight in Paris. First night not in the most scenic part of town, but convenient. #sustainabletravel #gobytrain #train #skitouring #skiing

Early morning start: to Zurich and then onto Innsbruck. Have coffee, have croissant. #sustainabletravel #gobytrain #train #skitouring #greentravel #garedulyon #skiing

On our way to Innsbruck by train for a week’s ski touring. Transfer from Gare du Nord to Gare de Lyon so much easier now with tickets on iPhone. Thanks @seatsixtyone.bsky.social for the top tip: game changer indeed! #sustainabletravel #gobytrain #RER #skitouring

A view of mountains in the Lake District in winter sunshine. Cloudless blue sky above.

A frosty mountain bathed in bright sunshine from a cloudless, blue sky.

What a relief to say goodbye rain, hello sunshine! Beautiful winter’s day walking in the #LakeDistrict. Now home for a hot shower: 21 degC inside, 0.3 degC outside. #ecobungalow #passivehouse #passivhaus #retrofit

YouTube video by TEDx Talks Virtuous Luxury: How Passive Houses can improve Life and help the Planet | Jeff Colley | TEDxTralee

Being green doesn’t necessarily mean sacrifice: @jeffcolley.bsky.social talks about the virtuous luxury of Passivehouse. #passivhaus #passivehouse #enerphit
youtu.be/rktvTXnX2vE?...

It’s a condensation-on-the-outside-of-the-windows kinda morning. #EcoBungalow #tripleglazing #passivehouse #passivhaus #enerphit #retrofit #frostymorning

Made this reusable Christmas Tree out of driftwood a couple of years ago. Survived its time in storage during the building works. Lovely to get it out again ready for first Christmas in the #EcoBungalow #passivhaus #passivehouse #enerphit #retrofit #christmastree