4 ms·

PV panels are useful but the best way of combating combat change in domestic dwellings, by far, is to improve the performance of the house by improving its fabr

PV panels are useful but the best way of combating combat change in domestic dwellings, by far, is to improve the performance of the house by improving its fabric. The tools to do this have been around for 30 years and yet we are still building houses that we'll have to fix in the future.

pbowyer 10y ago
> improving its fabric. > The tools to do this have been around for 30 years and yet we are still building houses that we'll have to fix in the future. I'm looking to buy my first house and I've looked at houses dating from the 1890's to finished 18 months ago. While I expect the older ones to have bad energy efficiency (single wall stone cottages) I've been horrified by the standard of the 1990's+ housing. Sure the ones built 2 years ago reach a 'B' on the UK's energy efficiency scale, but it appears to be by removing breathability while using traditional construction approaches still. I dream of building my own eco-home. Straw bale preferably.
- nitrogen 10y ago
  How do straw bale homes mitigate fire risks?
- dangravell 10y ago
  There are a number of reasons modern builds are still poorly performing. First, the regs ('code') is still very unambitious. Second, the assessment process is poor and not rigourously enforced. Building practices since the war have slowly led to lower intrinsic performance. There are a number of examples. Cavity walls are way over specified and introduce a number of thermal compromises. Plasterboard ('drywall') on bare block is a disaster area. Downlighters acting like chimneys into cold lofts. Dumb extractor fans that leak heat even when not running. Note that modern house do not have the same 'breathability' requirements as older ones. This is an extremely complex area. For me it's not so much the eco credentials that matter; it's building something of a high quality that does what it is supposed to do.
  - pbowyer 10y ago
    Any materials (books/websites/people/organisations) you can recommend to learn more? Like you it's not so much the eco credentials that matter to me, and I want to improve my grasp on the complexities. Plus I only knew one of your examples (extractor fans).
    - dangravell 10y ago
      Sure, the AECB, Passivhaus, the Green Building Forum, http://www.greenspec.co.uk http://www.greenspec.co.uk, http://www.houseplanninghelp.com http://www.houseplanninghelp.com all useful for starters. http://www.greensuffolk.org/assets/Greenest-County/SGBN/Sustainable-Construction/refurbfinalpdf.pdf http://www.greensuffolk.org/assets/Greenest-County/SGBN/Sust... is a good overview of common problems.

pbowyer 10y ago

> improving its fabric. > The tools to do this have been around for 30 years and yet we are still building houses that we'll have to fix in the future. I'm looking to buy my first house and I've looked at houses dating from the 1890's to finished 18 months ago. While I expect the older ones to have bad energy efficiency (single wall stone cottages) I've been horrified by the standard of the 1990's+ housing. Sure the ones built 2 years ago reach a 'B' on the UK's energy efficiency scale, but it appears to be by removing breathability while using traditional construction approaches still. I dream of building my own eco-home. Straw bale preferably.

nitrogen 10y ago
How do straw bale homes mitigate fire risks?
dangravell 10y ago
There are a number of reasons modern builds are still poorly performing. First, the regs ('code') is still very unambitious. Second, the assessment process is poor and not rigourously enforced. Building practices since the war have slowly led to lower intrinsic performance. There are a number of examples. Cavity walls are way over specified and introduce a number of thermal compromises. Plasterboard ('drywall') on bare block is a disaster area. Downlighters acting like chimneys into cold lofts. Dumb extractor fans that leak heat even when not running. Note that modern house do not have the same 'breathability' requirements as older ones. This is an extremely complex area. For me it's not so much the eco credentials that matter; it's building something of a high quality that does what it is supposed to do.
- pbowyer 10y ago
  Any materials (books/websites/people/organisations) you can recommend to learn more? Like you it's not so much the eco credentials that matter to me, and I want to improve my grasp on the complexities. Plus I only knew one of your examples (extractor fans).
  - dangravell 10y ago
    Sure, the AECB, Passivhaus, the Green Building Forum, http://www.greenspec.co.uk http://www.greenspec.co.uk, http://www.houseplanninghelp.com http://www.houseplanninghelp.com all useful for starters. http://www.greensuffolk.org/assets/Greenest-County/SGBN/Sustainable-Construction/refurbfinalpdf.pdf http://www.greensuffolk.org/assets/Greenest-County/SGBN/Sust... is a good overview of common problems.