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> We are used to a very energy extensive economy Like you say, there are enormous amounts of low-hanging fruit when it comes to energy efficiency across all of
by henrikschroder 6y ago
> We are used to a very energy extensive economy
Like you say, there are enormous amounts of low-hanging fruit when it comes to energy efficiency across all of society.
Take building insulation, for example. Where I'm from, triple glaze windows were made mandatory 30 years ago, every single existing apartment building was forced to retro-fit. Yet when I moved to the US less than ten years ago, apartment ads would regularly highlight "DOUBLE GLAZING" as if that was some incredibly expensive and luxurious feature.
Also where I'm from, I used to own an apartment in a building from the 1940s. But a bit more than ten years ago, new strict energy efficiency requirements went into effect, so my building - and every building like it in the country - had to fix it, often by adding a thick layer of insulation on the outside.
I still own an apartment there, it's newer, but the outside walls are 30cm thick and made of concrete for insulation purposes. And yet, here in the US, I regularly see new housing construction that's essentially just plywood for every single wall, inside and outside.
The US is incredibly behind when it comes to insulation and energy efficiency, because the economics of it doesn't make sense. If energy were to become much more expensive, this would change pretty damn fast.
- count 6y agoThere's also a US approach to 'grandfathering' in existing structures as building codes are updated. The only time I will ever 'have' to bring something in my house up to date is if I voluntarily do something like open a wall or install a new HVAC unit. And then the only thing impacted is that item, nothing else even gets inspected for safety/compliance. I understand it to some extent: TONS of people can't afford to just...replace all of their windows, for example.
- ghaff 6y agoI live in an early 1800s farmhouse which has had a lot of work done on it over the years--to code--and has had new top-of-the-line windows put in as well. But if the whole house suddenly had to be fully compliant with modern code? You'd probably just need to tear it down and start from scratch. I'm sure that's true on tons of houses, especially in older areas of the country.
- henrikschroder 6y agoAs far as I understand it, retrofits were only forced on commercial landlords, co-ops, and condominium buildings. Private home owners weren't forced, but there's incentives and tax relief for improving the energy efficiency of your house instead. New construction, apartment buildings and single-family homes alike, all have to abide by the same updated rules.
- yourapostasy 6y agoYou might be interested in Lstiburek's Perfect Wall.