4 ms·

> there's basically zero insulation in all homes. This is completely false.

epistasis 2y ago
Well all I can talk about is the 1970s-era boxes that dominate in the Bay Area, which is the major population center that PG&E serves. If your experience with these homes is different somehow, let me know. But go to SF, go to the peninsula, and you'll find that most homes barely stop air coming in and out of the house, much less have proper insulation. A blower test for SF homes would shock most people in the modern world.
- baggy_trough 2y ago
  Yes, my experience is that you are simply wrong.
- jandrese 2y ago
  In LA sure, you can get away with minimal insulation. SF is a different story. That city is shockingly cold. An uninsulated house in SF is wasting loads of energy.
triceratops 2y ago
I read "zero insulation" as "shit-tier insulation" and that is approximately accurate for a lot of Bay Area housing.
- baggy_trough 2y ago
  That's closer to the truth, but to say that all homes have basically zero insulation is just wrong.
  - triceratops 2y ago
    Well sure drywall is technically an insulator, since it's not a thermal or electrical conductor. So is the single pane of glass found on most windows. Maybe there's some stuff between the drywall and stucco? I never checked because the lead paint on the walls (any of the walls I've lived among; the Bay Area has a lot of old, shit housing) made me wary of drilling holes.
    - baggy_trough 2y ago
      I have lived in multiple homes in the bay area of differing vintages, and they all had at least some attic insulation. I'm not sure what was in the walls. Newer homes have better insulation, of course.
0cf8612b2e1e 2y ago
In SoCal, but when I moved here from Chicago, I was aghast at the so called insulation. Single pane glass windows, visible gaps in window frames and doors. Probably not legal to sell in the Midwest. Here, it’s like whatever. I never run the heater, and there are maybe 7 days a year where I want the AC.

Well all I can talk about is the 1970s-era boxes that dominate in the Bay Area, which is the major population center that PG&E serves. If your experience with these homes is different somehow, let me know. But go to SF, go to the peninsula, and you'll find that most homes barely stop air coming in and out of the house, much less have proper insulation. A blower test for SF homes would shock most people in the modern world.

baggy_trough 2y ago
Yes, my experience is that you are simply wrong.
jandrese 2y ago
In LA sure, you can get away with minimal insulation. SF is a different story. That city is shockingly cold. An uninsulated house in SF is wasting loads of energy.

triceratops 2y ago

I read "zero insulation" as "shit-tier insulation" and that is approximately accurate for a lot of Bay Area housing.

baggy_trough 2y ago
That's closer to the truth, but to say that all homes have basically zero insulation is just wrong.
- triceratops 2y ago
  Well sure drywall is technically an insulator, since it's not a thermal or electrical conductor. So is the single pane of glass found on most windows. Maybe there's some stuff between the drywall and stucco? I never checked because the lead paint on the walls (any of the walls I've lived among; the Bay Area has a lot of old, shit housing) made me wary of drilling holes.
  - baggy_trough 2y ago
    I have lived in multiple homes in the bay area of differing vintages, and they all had at least some attic insulation. I'm not sure what was in the walls. Newer homes have better insulation, of course.

0cf8612b2e1e 2y ago

In SoCal, but when I moved here from Chicago, I was aghast at the so called insulation. Single pane glass windows, visible gaps in window frames and doors. Probably not legal to sell in the Midwest. Here, it’s like whatever. I never run the heater, and there are maybe 7 days a year where I want the AC.