"In Britain, for every degree that you turn the thermostat down, the heat loss decreases by about 10 %." -MacKay, 143
My last post was about how only doing a little goes a little ways, so it may seem hypocritical that this week is about as small as action as turning the thermostat down one degree. I was not trying to disown little actions, only stating that they get in the way of actually making progress. It is easy to say "oh, I unplug my charger and toaster now" and carry on solo commuting to work in your hummer. Little actions are good, just keep in mind that that is all they are: little, and much more needs to be done. That out of the way, let's talk about thermostats. MacKay writes that turning the thermostat down from 20*C to 15* C (68* F to 59* F) nearly halves heat loss (p, 141). This may seem like a large jump. I think that 59* F is a bit major, but it is not too painful to set the thermostat at 62* F or 65* F.
If wearing long sleeves and sweatshirts inside is not for you, MacKay offers a few other small suggestions for lowing heat consumption. Adding "loft insulation and cavity-wall insulation reduces heat loss in a typical old house by about 25%" (p, 142). Double-pane windows can also help to insulate a house. If you have done these small changes and are ready for a bigger investment, the most efficient way to heat a home is with a heat pump.
 |
| Posing with my houses heat pump |
"Whereas the bar-fire's efficiency is 100%, the heat pump's is 400%." -MacKay, 147
First off, if anyone knows what a bar-fire is please let me know. Google only comes up with stories of fires in bars. Next, the matter of heat pumps. MacKay describes an air-source heat pump that warms up the outside air to cool down the air inside the building (air-conditioning), as well as working the other way around to heat the building. He also describes ground-source heat pump that cools down the ground using plumbing to heat your house. Heat pumps are still a form of electricity, but are the best 'future-proof' option for heating. Too expensive? Check that your house is properly insulated and crank the thermostat down. Sweats are in.
Emily!
ReplyDeleteI loved your "little goes a long way" part today. :) It reminded me of how much we still need to work on. Yes, unplugging a charger helps, but we could do so much more. Like the video in class, using a dual-plug (thingy) to control all the wires and cords in the house is definitely a lot better. I like how you gave options in helping the reduction of heat consumption. I really enjoy the coldness in my room, but I can't handle the heat at all, so it's really easy for me to reduce my thermostat, but for my family, it's a completely different story. My family love the heat. And if they see me opening the window, I would be in trouble for it.. Soo I think us investing in a heat pump would be very beneficial because we love the house being warm, and cozy, and heated, but we're very against high heating bills. :P
Sweats are so in! I wrote my blog on the 'little goes a long way' discussion for this week, and it made me think a lot about the subject of heating and how 'efficient' our dwellings are. You brought up more interesting points. Like you said, how much of a big deal is it to just turn down your thermostat a couple degrees and wear a sweatshirt? I recently moved into a new house and after seeing some ridiculous heating bills this winter, we really wanted to do something to make some changes. MacKay makes some excellent points in this chapter about increasing efficiency and utilizing efficient ways of heating. Oh, and an 'bar-fire' is one of those little heater things with the metal horizontal bars that heat up and turn orange. Brits and their weird lingo! When googleing it, try 'bar-fire'; I think the hyphen is the key :)
ReplyDelete