131–140 of 335 posts
Our body NEED infrared light. (real doctor research with scientific evidence) An interesting recent discovery is that our body need infrared radiation to function properly, not just UV light/vitamin D. I think that people living in the northern climate discovered/felt that it was better to be exposed to the radian heat of the fire in the winter. We recently (50-100) years have been getting rid of fireplaces and repla…
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This is exactly the problem with newer design and construction philosophy. Its premise is that we will use mechanical systems, and then try to make these mechanical systems more efficient such as improving insulation, using multi-stage condensers for the AC, etc. This is epitomized in the passive house concept. In contrast the older philosophy is that natural ventilation is good enough, so we design houses to improve…
> In contrast the older philosophy is that natural ventilation is good enough, so we design houses to improve that, such as strategic placement of windows to allow cross ventilation, use high ceilings to allow heat to rise, etc. Yeah, and all those open windows bring in pollen and dust. Yay! Hope you have a good bug screen as well. Of course if there's high humidity then all than ventilation may not help because the…
Older houses didn't have those issues, but energy consumption and humidity regulation were nightmares.
Removing drafts created and solved many difficult engineering problems.
I think having a tightly sealed house with lots of openable windows is a good solution. Most days, you can hopefully leave the windows open during the day and/or night. On smoky/hot/cold days you can run filters and ac/heat.
In some countries, it's common to open all the windows for 15-30 minutes, even on really cold/hot days. There's basically no thermal mass in the air (vs. the contents of the house), so it uses much less energy than you'd expect, and the house returns to temperature quickly. However, it greatly reduces indoor air pollution (by roughly an order of magnitude), including dust and pollen.
You could get a similar effect with an air exchanger, especially in Alaska, like in your link.
However, those don't usually do much to help with humidity entering/exiting the house, which is the main drawback of opening the windows for 15 minutes.
2000W sounds like a small amount of energy until you realize modern heat pumps have coefficients of power between 5 and 10. So, that house could leak 10-20KW of energy on average, and still meet the 2000 watt goal. (Assuming they installed a heat pump, which they should have before paying for ultra high end insulation.)
I definitely lean towards this approach, and warm my apartment to standard levels for my area only when company is coming over. But I think I developed mild but extremely irritating chilblains on my fingers from keeping my living space at 13-18°C. Now I diligently wear gloves (just the cheap, light kind) in such temperatures, even indoors. Just an anecdote but I can't really recommend the approach.
Do you prefer living in the cold?
I've been thinking about the inverse problem. I live in a very warm city. Air conditioning (cooling spaces) is the norm, but tons of money are spent with installations, maintenance and the monthly electricity bill. The new houses are designed with zero consideration about ventilation, designers seem to take for granted that you are going to buy an AC system. Oftentimes, a very simple change in the project would be en…
IMO the real solution is building materials with high heat mass (e.g. stone), and architectural designs which allow for passive cooling. This exists already, but can be expensive to build.
An issue with keeping yourself warm with clothing is some hotspots get too warm, and others too cold. Like the armpits usually get too warm, but your exposed hands too cold. If your slippers have sheep's wool in them, like ugg slippers, then they often sweat a lot or feel a little wet while simultaneously feeling cold at times, or warm enough. Most sweaters are also not designed to keep your armpits a little bit cool…
There's the old saying: "cold feet? wear a hat."
dress with the right layers. I always put a layer of synthetic beneath cotton.
Nice socks help your body deal with cold quite dramatically. "Darn Tough" brand merino wool socks are pretty exceptional socks that keep your feet warm and (importantly) dry.
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I had family members who lived in a home in the deep south that was built before air conditioning was common. It had a large fan in the ceiling of a central hallway that vented the air from the inside the house out through the attic. This was an industrial grade fan that moved a huge volume of air. At bedtime, they could open the bedroom windows and turn on the fan and a stiff wind would blow in through all the bedro…
There are air conditioning robots that follow a person around blowing cold air on them. They aren’t very practical, but could be more efficient than cooling an entire building for one person.
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Last December, Nevada County Ca, where I live, had a massive snow storm that knocked out power and snowed people in for 1-3 weeks. I wound up huddled in my apartment with 45 degree heat for five days or so. With enough sweaters, I was a comfortable temperature. Aside from what you mention, since basically you providing your own heat for yourself, you have to put or take off layers depending on physical activity. And…
One place you still need heat is the shower. Maybe some people are okay with taking a shower in 45F ambient temps, but I would resist it.
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> No noticeable changes along the whole year, I'm sorry. It does sound kind of unpleasant, but I imagine you get used to it.
I grew up in the Midwest and lived in SF and LA for a few years each. I definitely missed the seasons changing and appreciated them even more moving back to the Midwest. Lack of seasons really messed with my sense of time, like: "Oh that thing we did last month...oh woah that was six months ago??"
Not enough rain / sunny and 50 F
Sunny and 70F; green plants
Sunny and 90-105 F; brown plants
Red Skies, ??? F; black plants / red embers
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Last December, Nevada County Ca, where I live, had a massive snow storm that knocked out power and snowed people in for 1-3 weeks. I wound up huddled in my apartment with 45 degree heat for five days or so. With enough sweaters, I was a comfortable temperature. Aside from what you mention, since basically you providing your own heat for yourself, you have to put or take off layers depending on physical activity. And…
One place you still need heat is the shower. Maybe some people are okay with taking a shower in 45F ambient temps, but I would resist it.
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> The new houses are designed with zero consideration about ventilation, designers seem to take for granted that you are going to buy an AC system. These are two separate problems. In the ideal situation, you generally want the house to be fairly air tight and condition the air for (a) temperature and (b) humidity. Each of (a) and (b) are taken care of by different mechanical units: one is monitored by a thermometer…
This is exactly the problem with newer design and construction philosophy. Its premise is that we will use mechanical systems, and then try to make these mechanical systems more efficient such as improving insulation, using multi-stage condensers for the AC, etc. This is epitomized in the passive house concept. In contrast the older philosophy is that natural ventilation is good enough, so we design houses to improve…
But during the worsening wildfires seasons, I must tightly seal and air purify my apartment for weeks straight, and had to buy an air conditioner that I run during the day. The stale air is unpleasant, but unavoidable.
How idiosyncratic are my preferences and environmental circumstances? Are any architects working on house designs for me?