2 ms·

Concrete is not an insulator. It absorbs heat and releases it over time. It’s the direct opposite of an insulator, it’s thermal mass. If it’s cold outside con

Concrete is not an insulator. It absorbs heat and releases it over time. It’s the direct opposite of an insulator, it’s thermal mass. If it’s cold outside concrete will swiftly radiate away any heat it has retained and you’ll find yourself in quite the chilly building. Good insulators for homes are products like Rockwool, Earthwool, and HardieFire (probably all Australian product names). You can also get thermally reflective paints for roofs and exterior walls; fully sealed / sealable door and windows; double glazed windows with thermal film almost as good as triple glazed; polycarbonate window frames that have low thermal conductivity; HVAC systems that can transfer heat from warm roof space to living areas; products like Sun Lizard thermal transfer systems. I’ve been in houses in Victoria and Tasmania where some or all of these systems have been implemented and the inside of the houses hover around 17 - 25 all year round with only passive systems.

rayiner 8y ago
> I’ve been in houses in Victoria and Tasmania where some or all of these systems have been implemented and the inside of the houses hover around 17 - 25 all year round with only passive systems. That’s an enormous range (62-75 F) that few Americans would tolerate.
- TheSpiceIsLife 8y ago
  17 degrees inside in winter is comfortable with a jumper and pants of some form. 25 inside during summer is fine with light T-shirt and shorts. Also, doesn’t the USA have the highest carbon footprint per capita? Might wanna get that checked out.
- pen2l 8y ago
  Then Americans should get their act together! Seriously though, I'm an Asian now living in America -- in the cold part. For the first 15'ish years here, I despised the Winters because I could not tolerate them. But then I started lifting and doing cardio, and all of a sudden I could bear the cold just fine. Americans are being wusses if they are so intolerant of that range. They need to buck up and hit the gym, like I finally did.
- thatfrenchguy 8y ago
  You get used to it pretty quickly. And you need to because central AC is such a huge waste of electricity that in 50 years you won't have it ;-). Buy a sweater and decent t-shirt. It's not a cost issue, as AC cost around 5-10k (https://climatisation.ooreka.fr/comprendre/prix_tarif_climatiseur_climatisation https://climatisation.ooreka.fr/comprendre/prix_tarif_climat...), which is not much compared to the price of a house (150-300k), but a cultural one.

rayiner 8y ago

> I’ve been in houses in Victoria and Tasmania where some or all of these systems have been implemented and the inside of the houses hover around 17 - 25 all year round with only passive systems. That’s an enormous range (62-75 F) that few Americans would tolerate.

TheSpiceIsLife 8y ago
17 degrees inside in winter is comfortable with a jumper and pants of some form. 25 inside during summer is fine with light T-shirt and shorts. Also, doesn’t the USA have the highest carbon footprint per capita? Might wanna get that checked out.
pen2l 8y ago
Then Americans should get their act together! Seriously though, I'm an Asian now living in America -- in the cold part. For the first 15'ish years here, I despised the Winters because I could not tolerate them. But then I started lifting and doing cardio, and all of a sudden I could bear the cold just fine. Americans are being wusses if they are so intolerant of that range. They need to buck up and hit the gym, like I finally did.
thatfrenchguy 8y ago
You get used to it pretty quickly. And you need to because central AC is such a huge waste of electricity that in 50 years you won't have it ;-). Buy a sweater and decent t-shirt. It's not a cost issue, as AC cost around 5-10k (https://climatisation.ooreka.fr/comprendre/prix_tarif_climatiseur_climatisation https://climatisation.ooreka.fr/comprendre/prix_tarif_climat...), which is not much compared to the price of a house (150-300k), but a cultural one.