Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Heat people, not spaces (2015)

solar.lowtechmagazine.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

161–170 of 335 posts

Re: Heat people, not spaces (2015)

#161

Post by silisili »

olegious wrote: post #137
mc32 wrote: post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

You’d be surprised how quickly you can get used to cold showers. I’ve been only cold showering for about 5 years now

How cold is cold?

When our gas went out in the summer, taking a 'cold' shower was bearable, some days even enjoyable.

In the freezing winter? Tried it once, never again. I'm not even sure it would be safe to shower in water that cold for any long periods of time.

Re: Heat people, not spaces (2015)

#162

Post by ulrikrasmussen »

oxplot wrote: post #127

Heat properly insulated spaces. I don’t want to walk around with piles of movement limiting and suffocating clothing inside my own living room. The problem is not what you heat up, it’s how well you insulate it from losing its heat. In Australia where I live, insulation is non-existent in the average home/apartment. Even simple things like tinted windows (for hot days), double pane windows and floating floor is missi…

I also think that drastically lowering the temperature in unmodified buildings will create other problems like mold because you move the dew point so the moisture generated by residents will condensate in problematic places, e.g. inside insulation.

Re: Heat people, not spaces (2015)

#163

Post by MrRobotics »

myth2018 wrote: post #12

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…

The energy savings from spot cooling with fans can be incredible compared to AC. A garage AC unit consumes ~1300W while a 20” fan consumes about ~150W.

My startup, Following Fan, has built a person-tracking 20” fan that uses computer vision to automatically stay pointed at the user as they move around. This technology provides the location agnostic benefits of AC with the energy consumption of fans.

Re: Heat people, not spaces (2015)

#164

Post by scott0129 »

novok wrote: post #60

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…

For the issue of "fingers are cold but gloves affect mobility", purchasing a pair of thumbhole arm warmers have made a world of difference for me

They're almost like fingerless gloves, but more comfortable and easier to manage.

You might be worried "but it's the fingers that are cold anyway, so fingerless gloves are not what I need." I thought that too, but trying them immediately proved me wrong and I never had an issue with cold fingers again. I'm fairly sure it's because warming your wrists/palms keep your blood from losing heat in those areas, so your fingers get much warmer circulation.

For something less than $10, it's probably the best purchase I've made for working in the winter

Re: Heat people, not spaces (2015)

#165

Post by bluefirebrand »

pchwalek wrote: post #70
mrfusion wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Homes should include a central dehumidifier. I believe they’re more efficient than running the AC since there’s no net temperature change?

This depends on the climate zone you’re in. In drier climates, some HVAC systems are actually humidifiers which blow the outside dry/hot air through a wet membrane (ex., desiccant) and blow out wetter/cold air.

Yeah, I have a humidifier attached to my furnace and my house is still often dry enough to make every piece of furniture extremely staticky

Running a dehumidifier here in the summer would be cruel and unusual.

Re: Heat people, not spaces (2015)

#166

Post by bryanrasmussen »

scott0129 wrote: post #164
novok wrote: post #60

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…

For the issue of "fingers are cold but gloves affect mobility", purchasing a pair of thumbhole arm warmers have made a world of difference for me They're almost like fingerless gloves, but more comfortable and easier to manage. You might be worried "but it's the fingers that are cold anyway, so fingerless gloves are not what I need." I thought that too, but trying them immediately proved me wrong and I never had an i…

>For the issue of "fingers are cold but gloves affect mobility", purchasing a pair of thumbhole arm warmers have made a world of difference for me

this is calling back to the recent post on Dickensian poverty for me. Everyone not well to do in A Christmas Carol was cold and had layers on and fingerless gloves and stood around shivering. But the rich people were heating the spaces (except Scrooge of course)

Re: Heat people, not spaces (2015)

#167

Post by twblalock »

gkop wrote: post #140
kccqzy wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

My personal preference is deeply in the natural ventilation camp, and the typically delicious air we have in the Bay Area is a boon to my wellness. I leave the windows mostly open 24/7 three seasons, and in the winter I partially open them during significant portions of the day. It’s wonderful. But during the worsening wildfires seasons, I must tightly seal and air purify my apartment for weeks straight, and had to b…

> How idiosyncratic are my preferences and environmental circumstances? Are any architects working on house designs for me?

You must have quiet neighbors if you can stand leaving the windows open all the time.

Re: Heat people, not spaces (2015)

#168

Post by zarzavat »

scott0129 wrote: post #164
novok wrote: post #60

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…

For the issue of "fingers are cold but gloves affect mobility", purchasing a pair of thumbhole arm warmers have made a world of difference for me They're almost like fingerless gloves, but more comfortable and easier to manage. You might be worried "but it's the fingers that are cold anyway, so fingerless gloves are not what I need." I thought that too, but trying them immediately proved me wrong and I never had an i…

It’s because muscles that control your hands are in your forearm and hand so warming your fingers doesn’t actually do much except make them feel nice.

Re: Heat people, not spaces (2015)

#169

Post by bryanrasmussen »

joe_the_user wrote: post #74
novok wrote: post #60

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…

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…

The hero of To Build A Fire was obviously the sled dog, the human was too much whiny and needy - which is what caused the hero to abandon him in the end.

Re: Heat people, not spaces (2015)

#170

Post by mypalmike »

silisili wrote: post #161
olegious wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You’d be surprised how quickly you can get used to cold showers. I’ve been only cold showering for about 5 years now

How cold is cold? When our gas went out in the summer, taking a 'cold' shower was bearable, some days even enjoyable. In the freezing winter? Tried it once, never again. I'm not even sure it would be safe to shower in water that cold for any long periods of time.

I'm not personally advocating for this, but some argue for water conservation by taking a https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navy_shower which involves only about 2 minutes of time in the water.
Post reply on HN