Re:Thermos-Like Passive Homes Aggressively Save Energy
by danpat on Wednesday January 21, 2015 @07:29PM
(#8926743)
It's partly materials, but there are lots of factors:
- building codes raising the bar, which has brought down costs for what used to be "fancy" materials
- improvements in building science
- increased energy costs driving demand for improved efficiency
- greater awareness of energy consumption amongst the population
I've renovated a few houses build in the 60's and 70's in Canada. As far as I can tell, they had the materials and knowledge to make far more efficient houses, but much of the time, it was just easier, quicker and cheaper to install a big-ol' heater and drive the cold out. With a few simple and relatively cheap building envelope modifications and a more efficient heat source, it wasn't difficult to bring heating costs down by 50% or more.
- building codes raising the bar, which has brought down costs for what used to be "fancy" materials
- improvements in building science
- increased energy costs driving demand for improved efficiency
- greater awareness of energy consumption amongst the population
I've renovated a few houses build in the 60's and 70's in Canada. As far as I can tell, they had the materials and knowledge to make far more efficient houses, but much of the time, it was just easier, quicker and cheaper to install a big-ol' heater and drive the cold out. With a few simple and relatively cheap building envelope modifications and a more efficient heat source, it wasn't difficult to bring heating costs down by 50% or more.