Greener Home on East Weare Road, Portland, Dorset

Owned by Olympic sailor and environmental activist, Laura Baldwin who lives with her 12yro son and her partner, Etienne Stott who won Olympic Gold in London 2012 in the double canoe slalom event.

The pair have worked through the check list for decarbonising. Laura started this in 2021 as a single mum on a low income when she received free solar panels thanks to a government grant. In 2022 the kitchen and bathroom needed work as a slow leak had rotted the support joists in the floor / ceiling between the two rooms. The kitchen units were sourced on Facebook marketplace and as much as possible was purchased pre-loved or locally.

Laura describes her kitchen as ‘perfectly imperfect’, which she says is, ‘my new favourite style, accepting imperfections knowing everything was sourced eco-ethically and having done the work ourselves we appreciate the outcome as we know that we did the best with what we had.”

The gas cooker was replaced with an induction hob which Laura says is, ‘brilliant! I love it. It heats up and cools down instantly, it’s a lot safer for my young son to learn to cook upon and it is super easy to clean. Then there’s the original reason for changing, it uses clean energy in an efficient way.’

Upstairs in the bathroom, much of it stayed as it was to save on creating waste and using more resources than necessary. It was just the old bath that had been leaking that was replaced with an electric shower with a water efficient shower head so it uses less water but it is high energy consuming so it will soon be replaced. At the time there was no hot water in the house since the old gas boiler stopped working in May 2022 and was unrepairable as parts for it were no longer made.’

The eco-conscious occupant knew that she wanted a heat pump but couldn’t afford one. Laura explained that, ‘I kept thinking the government would roll out retrofitting programs street-by-street any time now and the fact I couldn’t afford to buy one independently meant I had to wait. I kept seeking quotes and asking the team at Ridgewater Energy and Warmer Homes Dorset for help as a single mum with no heating but the only offer was for a free boiler upgrade. Something I wasn’t prepared to accept. Disconnecting the gas was a big relief, to no longer have fossil fuels entering my home lifted a weight I felt upon me.’

In fact, Laura, her son and her partner spent the winter without heating. Warming their bodies with hot water bottles, clothing and blankets. Laura said, ‘It felt pretty brutal but we made it through. We worked from home too! We’d be in zoom meetings wearing beanies and people would comment that they could see our breath! I was determined not to suffer a second cold unheated winter but in the end, we lived through three winters with no heating! We definitely toughened up and this past winter my mind didn’t bother to tell me that I was cold most of the time. Thankfully we will finally have a warmer home this winter.’

In 2023 the drafty windows and doors were replaced with triple glazing by, Dorset Windows, doors and facias, which Laura said, ‘made an instant difference, as did fully insulating the loft. We also had the soffits and guttering replaced. I opted for deep gutters thinking of the volumes of rain that we could very well experience.’

In 2024 the remaining south facing roof space was covered in solar panels by Dorset Solar Solutions and the inverter was replaced with a battery that linked both sets of solar panels. The energy bills plummeted and in the first year of having this set up, the household exported twice the energy imported from the grid. This was still with no central heating, just one small plug in electric heater in the child’s bedroom used for an hour or two around bedtime. Laura says, ‘I’m interested to see how much our energy bills will change this winter now that we have heating.’

This year, in February 2025, after three cold winters, the house finally had a heat pump fitted by Octopus Energy. The Daiken unit, 10 new radiators and all the work to get it fully operational cost just £3950. Everyone agrees it’s nice to have hot water in the taps but that actually they are so set in their routines of using a boiled kettle for washing dishes and cold water for washing hands and faces that they would feel fine to have continued without but they are very much looking forward to having a milder climate in their home this winter. ‘We won’t want the home hot, I think we’ll be happy between 16-18 degrees. I like wearing jumpers and snuggling up with blankets but I don’t like being icy cold.’ Laura explained.

The home is filled with plants which gives it a calming, natural vibe. Cleaning products are eco friendly toxin free in reusable bottles refilled at SW Coast Refills in Weymouth town centre. Cleaning sponges and brushes are made of natural fibres. In place of kitchen roll and napkins is washable fabric sheets, the same for baby wipes and makeup removing pads. Laura uses washable sanitary pads and all natural products. The family eat organic foods with vegetables delivered from Riverford or grown in their allotment. The activist couple have both been vegan for many years now, 2017 for Etienne and 2020 for Laura whilst her young son eats increasingly plant based meals he does still eat some meat and fish.

Whilst Laura was busy with the CommUnity Allotments including landscaping a new kids allotment plot this year, Etienne has spent months of effort landscaping the garden. Terracing the former steep grass slope. They call their garden their, ‘living pantry’ and it is such a joy to be in. The wide mix of crops are growing in abundance enjoying the fresh organic peat free compost. Retro looking light green raised beds are set beside a Rhino greenhouse chosen for its strength against storms. They purchased a shipping container to meet their storage needs since they don’t have a garage. This will be painted a shade of white and trimmed with wood to improve the appearance and reflect more sunlight. A future project is to install a living roof upon it. Also still to do is to maximise water storage. Four water butts are in place but the couple plan to increase this by a lot.

Space for nature has been carefully incorporated with wild zones, plenty of flowers, a biodiverse hedgerow loved by the birds contains a mix of; Hazel, Horthrone, Bird Cherry, Dogwood, Dogrose, Grey Willow, Rowen and Maple. The bird feeding house is topped up daily and water dishes are kept filled. A small pond is being built on the latest section to be terraced that is planted with perennial herbs and flowers that are buzzing with bees. Lots of Nasturtiums redirect butterflies from laying their eggs on the leafy green vegetables. This that do hatch out on the cabbages are transferred as caterpillars to the Nasturtiums. Slugs and snails are moved to the compost bay that is topped up daily with fresh greenery for them to help turn to next seasons soil. Fruit trees line the edges of the garden and are heavy with fruits in this, their third season in place.

And then, there’s the very special view enjoyed from this property that looks straight down Chesil Beach.