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My house uses a NatGas boiler and in-floor radiant heat. It also has wood stoves for those -20F (or worse) nights when I need a little supplemental heat (or th

by jcadam 4y ago

My house uses a NatGas boiler and in-floor radiant heat. It also has wood stoves for those -20F (or worse) nights when I need a little supplemental heat (or the power is out and the main heating system is offline). A heat pump would be a waste up here in Alaska esp given I don't need A/C. Just opening the windows and running some fans in the summer tends to do the trick for cooling.

throw0101c 4y ago
> Just opening the windows and running some fans in the summer tends to do the trick for cooling. The problem with 'natural' ventilation is you also get things humidity, pollen, dust, etc coming in as well. One of the major advantages of mechanical ventilation (like HRV/ERVs, which cycle the air) is that things are tempered and filtered beforehand. Sometimes you also want to deal with individual variables: the temperature is fine, but the humidity is off.
- jcadam 4y ago
  There's the expense of maintaining a central A/C, ductwork, etc., that I'd rather not deal with (not to mention electricity is expensive here). Yes, if the air outside is dirty (forest fires, volcanic eruption, etc.) you've got a point. HEPA filters can help some with this, I suppose. Humidity isn't usually a big issue here most days. If anything, it can be a bit dry (but not as dry as running an A/C would make it). Though, I do have a portable dehumidifier I use when I need to :)
- a9h74j 4y ago
  Is filtering incoming air (for a mix) necessarily the norm, though? Even in the rare high-performance homes built on spec[ulation], my sense is that filtering incoming air might be omitted, in favor of a single filter acting on recirculation.
  - jcadam 4y ago
    And forced air can be quite dirty (dust/pollen/etc.) if you don't clean your ducts regularly.
  - sbierwagen 4y ago
    It wasn’t the norm, but now that more people have pollen allergies and widespread summer fires are common again, it’s become more important.

by jcadam 4y ago

throw0101c 4y ago

> Just opening the windows and running some fans in the summer tends to do the trick for cooling. The problem with 'natural' ventilation is you also get things humidity, pollen, dust, etc coming in as well. One of the major advantages of mechanical ventilation (like HRV/ERVs, which cycle the air) is that things are tempered and filtered beforehand. Sometimes you also want to deal with individual variables: the temperature is fine, but the humidity is off.

jcadam 4y ago
There's the expense of maintaining a central A/C, ductwork, etc., that I'd rather not deal with (not to mention electricity is expensive here). Yes, if the air outside is dirty (forest fires, volcanic eruption, etc.) you've got a point. HEPA filters can help some with this, I suppose. Humidity isn't usually a big issue here most days. If anything, it can be a bit dry (but not as dry as running an A/C would make it). Though, I do have a portable dehumidifier I use when I need to :)
a9h74j 4y ago
Is filtering incoming air (for a mix) necessarily the norm, though? Even in the rare high-performance homes built on spec[ulation], my sense is that filtering incoming air might be omitted, in favor of a single filter acting on recirculation.
- jcadam 4y ago
  And forced air can be quite dirty (dust/pollen/etc.) if you don't clean your ducts regularly.
- sbierwagen 4y ago
  It wasn’t the norm, but now that more people have pollen allergies and widespread summer fires are common again, it’s become more important.