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Re:Ask HN: Have you built a house? by dirktheman on Tuesday August 28, 2018 @10:08AM (#17858859)
If you're in a warm climate this might not be for you, but I live in a moderate climate and I've always been interested in a Rocket Mass Heater as the centerpiece of my house:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocket_mass_heater

Unfortunately I live in a cookie-cutter suburb so it's not feasable right now, but someday...

Re:Ask HN: Have you built a house? by tonyedgecombe on Tuesday August 28, 2018 @11:10AM (#17859372)
They seem very popular in the permaculture community, I wonder how effective they really are.
Re:Ask HN: Have you built a house? by jaggederest on Tuesday August 28, 2018 @04:42PM (#17862677)
About as effective as any reasonably efficiently designed wood stove. Usually 60%-80% transfer efficiency at best, depending on the exact design and way it's operated. They're a fad because they look cool, not because they're order of magnitude more efficient. You can run them more efficient, but then you have to deal with corrosive condensate, which makes the operational characteristics questionable.