3 ms·
It seems to me that with sufficient insulation a modern or futuristic home could take advantage of the seasonal energy gradient to smoothe out the domestic inte
by akramachamarei 7mo ago
It seems to me that with sufficient insulation a modern or futuristic home could take advantage of the seasonal energy gradient to smoothe out the domestic interior climate, essentially acting as a battery or reservoir to capture energy in summer and dispense it in winter. I suppose that's basically what photovoltaics do. I'm also somewhat aware and intrigued by non-electric solar energy systems, like convection of thermal oil through pipes?
- altruios 7mo agoNot futuristic: but adobe - the cheapest/oldest building material around - has this property naturally (on a 12hr cycle). Thick walls insulate from the heat during the day, and radiate that heat during the night: It's hyper efficient. Building regulations killed it's use in America! Requiring the adding in of rebar actually makes it weaker... as well as more expensive than wood (go ahead and guess which groups lobbied for that set of regulations).
- akramachamarei 7mo agoInteresting... do you know how well adobe stacks? That is, is it limited to mostly single-storey buildings?
- skybrian 7mo agoThe economics for seasonal storage are very tough. Taking advantage of the day-night cycle is a lot more doable; assuming capital costs are the same, storage pays for itself many times faster.