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Heat people, not spaces (2015)

solar.lowtechmagazine.com

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Re: Heat people, not spaces (2015)

#281

Post by jimlikeslimes »

woolion wrote: post #237
wolverine876 wrote: post #178

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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. We can sit and imagine problems with every course of action, and never step forward. In my life, I've never had the quoted problem and I've never heard anyone else say it's a problem. On my list of things to worry about, this ranks near the bot…

>We can sit and imagine problems with every course of action, and never step forward. Well, you assume these are fake problems, and so the GP is being disingenuous. The problems he mentions basically only happen if you stay at a computer, or such unphysical activities that form the basis of modern work. As you properly notice, these problems are mostly nonexistent if you do "real" physical activities, but you can sti…

Mmmm, a cooling system and keyboard that blows warm air up through the keys would be fun.

Re: Heat people, not spaces (2015)

#282

Post by JKCalhoun »

gameswithgo wrote: post #81

I have a two story home with one central air unit and the distribution of heat is terrible, some rooms get super hot, the whole downstairs is super cold. Are there any affordable steps one can take to improve these kinda of problems?

Identify the really hot rooms, see if the windows are modern. If not, replace with double-pane, low-e windows.

Sorry, all I can think of that's maybe affordable.

As other's say though, closing off vents and such you might be able to manually re-balance the house. My last home had two "zones" and therefore two thermostats. But it required also some complicated baffles in the ventilation system to open and/or close the two zones independently. I didn't install it, it might have been pricey to do so.

Re: Heat people, not spaces (2015)

#283

Post by cameronh90 »

refurb wrote: post #264
cameronh90 wrote: post #233

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are also tropical people living in somewhat less than tropical climates too. They have shorter nostrils. My girlfriend is one of them and has especially short nostrils. Whenever the air gets cold she gets terrible nosebleeds, headaches and more. Outside, she has to put a scarf over her nose. My long narrow nose is great at conditioning the air, but conversely I can't breathe through my nose when I exercise...

Your nostril length is irrelevant. Most of the “conditioning” happens between the skull (where turbinates start) and the trachea.

Your nostril length is absolutely relevant. Maybe not by the time it gets to your lungs, but it for sure causes problems for the sensitive tissues inside the nose.

"Such a nose is unsuited for cold countries as it permits masses of cold air to flood the air passages and irritate the lining membrane, so that the nose must be large and have much warming surface, and the nostrils therefore are slender slits to admit air in thin ribbons easily warmed."

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-climate-ch...

Re: Heat people, not spaces (2015)

#284

Post by bigthymer »

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…

In traditional Iranian design, they would paint a chimney black to generate a constant updraft. It works in dry areas.

Re: Heat people, not spaces (2015)

#285

Post by ip26 »

dingaling wrote: post #276
ip26 wrote: post #174

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Windows. Even nice double pane windows ice heavily in your bedroom overnight if it's 58F in the house & you've drawn the curtains. Later, the ice slowly melts. Drip, drip.

We have triple-glazed windows and they condensate on the outside. The inside is always bone dry.

I forgot to add that happens when the outdoor temperature is below maybe 10F. We deal with it by leaving curtains open.

What kind of outdoor temps do you have? Maybe I’m newly interested in triple glaze.

Re: Heat people, not spaces (2015)

#286

Post by refurb »

cameronh90 wrote: post #283
refurb wrote: post #264

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your nostril length is irrelevant. Most of the “conditioning” happens between the skull (where turbinates start) and the trachea.

Your nostril length is absolutely relevant. Maybe not by the time it gets to your lungs, but it for sure causes problems for the sensitive tissues inside the nose. "Such a nose is unsuited for cold countries as it permits masses of cold air to flood the air passages and irritate the lining membrane, so that the nose must be large and have much warming surface, and the nostrils therefore are slender slits to admit air…

Yet, people with short nostrils live in high altitudes with dry air and do fine? Himilayas? Nepal?

Re: Heat people, not spaces (2015)

#287

Post by MrRobotics »

jiggunjer wrote: post #172
MrRobotics wrote: post #163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

But ac also reduce humidity. Fans just blow air, at high humidity and high temps the fan would be useless?

You’re right that fans don’t affect humidity and are less effective in extreme heat.

However, there are many places such as garages, airplane hangers, and large warehouses where AC is impractical due to a lack of insulation and the need to open large doors to move vehicles or goods in and out.

In those environments, fans are about the best cooling solution you can get. One big issue with traditional fans though is that they just point in an single direction or oscillate back and forth regardless of the location of the user.

Re: Heat people, not spaces (2015)

#288

Post by jillesvangurp »

988747 wrote: post #278
jillesvangurp wrote: post #248

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, I have heating in every room in my apartment in Berlin. But I only use the one in my living room. I never heat my two bed rooms or the bathroom. The rest of the apartment is a bit cooler but stays warm thanks to the neighbors below me heating their apartment. I actually prefer sleeping in a cold bed room so I never use the heating in there. I just toss on an extra blanket when it gets really cold outside. I gene…

>> stays warm thanks to the neighbors below me heating their apartment. So you're basically stealing the heat from your neighbors :) You can see how that strategy falls apart if everyone starts doing it?

It's not like I have a choice here. Besides, the building charges an aggregate heating cost per year that I can't really influence with my behavior other than not turning on the heat when I don't need it. With my downstairs neighbors, I end up having to open the window as well to get the temperature in my bedroom to reasonably low levels.

Re: Heat people, not spaces (2015)

#289

Post by murbard2 »

fmakunbound wrote: post #176
murbard2 wrote: post #175

One concept I've toyed with for a while is a laser blanket. A ceiling mounted infrared camera measures the temperature across your body, and an infrared laser automatically goes and "paints" any part that is insufficiently warm. No idea if it would be comfortable at all, but fun project.

I’m pretty sure that was pitched in an episode of Silicon Valley, except microwaves

Indeed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Di3fPj0pUbQ

Microwave frequencies used in ovens would be dangerous because they can penetrate deep in the body and heat internal tissues, but in the EHF range microwave heating could be safe. See for instance https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_Denial_System

With all that said, what I had in mind is in the far less scary and far more prosaic near-infrared range.

Re: Heat people, not spaces (2015)

#290

Post by gkop »

twblalock wrote: post #167
gkop wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

I live in a mid density city with a nice ambient hum. Indeed the neighbors in my building are respectful, as are the neighbors on either side. But I think the ambient hum is key to the peaceful atmosphere, when living in a city. The biggest threat we’ve experienced in terms of noise is blue jays that I finally staved off after months, by occasionally assaulting them with a super soaker. Other birdsong is pleasant, I hear some right now and open the window wider.

I say this as somebody fairly particular about my comfort. I can’t stand interior transformer hums for example.

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