Meet 'InstaGran' whose eco videos have made her a social media star - including six million people watching her unload the dishwasher.

Judith Leary-Joyce, 75, has been documenting the improvements she and her husband, John, 82, have made to their previously 'cold and draughty' Victorian house.

She is using her social media platform to teach millions how they can be more environmentally conscious - after videos of her unloading a dishwasher at her unique retro-fit home went viral.

Her Instagram reel about her dishwasher solution - which is loaded at waist height so she does not have to bend down - has been viewed nearly six million times, and her two videos about her counter-weight staircase at her St Albans home, in Hertfordshire, have been watched on 35 million occasions.

As one of the first members of the environmental organisations Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth, Judith has been climate conscious since the 1970s.

When the couple's most recent retro-fit conversion to their Victorian home, which was built in 1901, resulted in a staggering 75 per cent reduction in energy consumption - Judith was determined to show others how they could do it too.

Judith, who began using Instagram after being urged to set up a profile during her TED talk 'how you and your builder can help save the planet', said: "I was not even a quarter-hearted about social media - but one of the speakers said to me 'you've got to get into reels!'"

"So I gave it a go one day and thought oh god what should I put up on Instagram."

"I thought for one of the reels I would just stick up the camera and film myself emptying our waist-height dish washer - which John created (as all the good ideas come from him) - because I didn't want to bend down."

"It was funny I put it up on Saturday evening with my 17-year-old grandson, and then my watch started going 'ping ping pong', he said 'Granny, what have you done!'"

"We watched it go up and up and up and here we are with 35 million views!"

"Retirement is supposed to be quiet! But there we go."

"My family now call me InstaGran! It really is lovely at this stage of my life to be constantly learning."

On the day her dishwasher post went viral Judith (@ecorenovationhome) had 311 followers, but a month later the numbers had soared to 30,000, and have since climbed to 85,000.

Now, following a 16-month-long eco-development of their home, Judith, is now educating home-owners of the benefits a retrofit can have on their lives - and the planet.

The mother-of-two and grandmother-of-three who has since written Beginner's Guide to Eco Renovation, said: "We have lived here for 46 years now and began the retro-fit in 2020."

"At first we were just building an extension, and wanted an air-source heat pump - but we swiftly realised an eco build of the extension was actually going have to be done throughout the rest of the house - otherwise it wouldn't work well."

"After a long night time discussion, we decided to make the house a legacy for the future - so whoever lives in it after us can live kindly with the earth."

"It has been amazing: our property has gone up in value, our energy bills have dropped, and it's much warmer."

"Our Energy Performance certificate has now improved from D to B!"

Judith explains how nearly 21 per cent of all planet-harming emissions comes from leaky homes.

This is what empowered her to research eco renovations, which includes fitting solar panels and insulation with sustainable materials - which she says has made a 'massive reduction' in their energy consumption.

Not only is their home now 75 per cent more energy efficient, Judith says their home is now valued at £90,000 more money following the works.

The total cost of retrofitting their home cost around £23,000.

Judith said: "It's a no brainer!"

"So many people live in Victorian houses like ours - and they are terrible leaky buckets."

"We didn't have eco builders, so I had to learn about the process, spending hours on the web. "

"A turning point was when I learned the word ‘retrofit' - it opened up a whole new world for me - and I thought that I have to help others do the same without all this work."



"So I found an eco inspired architect to help me and started writing the book. "

"The value of retrofitting is staggering: more and more buyers want energy efficient homes - there really is not a downside."

"Retrofit makes homes more comfortable and better for the planet, I wish the government would align with its principles too. "

"But if we are all doing it - we can all make a big positive difference."

Judith explains the importance of adding ventilation to a well-insulated house.

They have single-room heat recovery units installed in six of their rooms, which are much more 'effective' than trickle vents - and they save 85 per cent of the heat.

Other sustainable upgrades included triple-glazed windows, and Pavatex insulation under the suspended floor.

Wood fibre insulation is made from the waste wood that is collected from various sawmills, curbing carbon dioxide emissions by offering an alternative to other unsustainable insulation materials on the market.

Many builders use polyisocyanurate (PIR), a rigid thermal insulation material, which Judith says gives off 'volatile organic compounds' and is 'terrible for the planet'.

Their air source heat pump which was fitted on the roof of their extension is a Mitsubishi Ecodan 8.5k W R32 - which Judith says has been a 'game-changer'.

Judith and John host open house sessions at their home throughout winter and host a local sustainability group to help people 'take inspiration home for themselves'.

She says people 'love to come and see the house' and leave 'heartened and motivated'.

Judith explained: "It's very encouraging to see!"

The eco activist said she is motivated to take climate action - on everything from a vegan diet to buying second hand clothes - so her grandchildren and future generations have a livable planet to reside on.

She added: "A big driver for me is grandchildren, yours, mine, all of them."

"I can't bear what were doing at the moment to this beautiful earth."

"I've got to feel like I have done everything that I can to help."

"I've worked hard at this and I've done my best for the kids, and this is something I can learn and do to help, as best as I can."

You can follow Judith's tips for a green life here: https://www.instagram.com/ecorenovationhome/
https://www.youtube.com/@ecorenovationhome