Winter is here then!

[Oldgreybeard]

Had to keep the bedroom air con on all night last night to hold the temperature down to around 20°C as it was a bit uncomfortable the night before, at around 23°C. The temperature in the hall here right now is still at 22.8°C, and will probably stay around there given how mild the weather is at the moment (it's 16°C outdoors at the moment).

[Joeboy]

Had to keep the bedroom air con on all night last night to hold the temperature down to around 20°C as it was a bit uncomfortable the night before, at around 23°C. The temperature in the hall here right now is still at 22.8°C, and will probably stay around there given how mild the weather is at the moment (it's 16°C outdoors at the moment).

You're not impressing anyone you know!

Great to read that the home and climate are performing well for you. I am stuck with 30 deg days and 22 deg a/c .

Back home it was as low as 5 degs and currently around 11degs.

[Oldgreybeard]

Had to keep the bedroom air con on all night last night to hold the temperature down to around 20°C as it was a bit uncomfortable the night before, at around 23°C. The temperature in the hall here right now is still at 22.8°C, and will probably stay around there given how mild the weather is at the moment (it's 16°C outdoors at the moment).

You're not impressing anyone you know!

Great to read that the home and climate are performing well for you. I am stuck with 30 deg days and 22 deg a/c .

Back home it was as low as 5 degs and currently around 11degs.

It is an illustration of how the passive house concept works in practice, though, and how having the combination of good insulation and airtightness, heat recovery ventilation and a very long thermal time constant can make a significant difference to energy usage.

The long thermal time constant is the thing that seems to have the greatest impact. Means that any heat gained during sunny spells is retained and stored inside the house, only escaping very slowly when the temperature cools a bit overnight. The low heating requirement also counts for a lot.

I know that with both of us home and normal household appliances and gadgets being used, we provide enough body heat and appliance waste heat to raise the house indoor temperature about 4°C or 5°C above the mean outdoor temperature. Over the past week the mean outdoor temperature has been around 16°C so just the two of us living here, with no solar gain, would get the indoor temperature up to 20°C or so. Doesn't need a lot of solar gain to get the house up to the mid-20s.

If we had a dog, ideally a large one, we could probably go for another month in winter without using heating, but would probably use more cooling in summer.

[Joeboy]

Had to keep the bedroom air con on all night last night to hold the temperature down to around 20°C as it was a bit uncomfortable the night before, at around 23°C. The temperature in the hall here right now is still at 22.8°C, and will probably stay around there given how mild the weather is at the moment (it's 16°C outdoors at the moment).

You're not impressing anyone you know!

Great to read that the home and climate are performing well for you. I am stuck with 30 deg days and 22 deg a/c .

Back home it was as low as 5 degs and currently around 11degs.

It is an illustration of how the passive house concept works in practice, though, and how having the combination of good insulation and airtightness, heat recovery ventilation and a very long thermal time constant can make a significant difference to energy usage.

The long thermal time constant is the thing that seems to have the greatest impact. Means that any heat gained during sunny spells is retained and stored inside the house, only escaping very slowly when the temperature cools a bit overnight. The low heating requirement also counts for a lot.

I know that with both of us home and normal household appliances and gadgets being used, we provide enough body heat and appliance waste heat to raise the house indoor temperature about 4°C or 5°C above the mean outdoor temperature. Over the past week the mean outdoor temperature has been around 16°C so just the two of us living here, with no solar gain, would get the indoor temperature up to 20°C or so. Doesn't need a lot of solar gain to get the house up to the mid-20s.

Oh I get it, absolutely excellent. Can you spec triple glazing to filter out solar gain? Just a thought for warmer climates.

[Oldgreybeard]

Oh I get it, absolutely excellent. Can you spec triple glazing to filter out solar gain? Just a thought for warmer climates.

I believe you can, now. It's produced for office buildings, where the large areas of glazing can let in far too much heat. If I were doing this again I would investigate this, as having less solar gain would be a definite benefit for 8 or 9 months of the year here. I've had to resort to fitting awnings on the outside, over the windows that get the sun, to cut down on the solar gain. External shutters might be another option.

[openspaceman]

Had to keep the bedroom air con on all night last night to hold the temperature down to around 20°C as it was a bit uncomfortable the night before, at around 23°C. The temperature in the hall here right now is still at 22.8°C, and will probably stay around there given how mild the weather is at the moment (it's 16°C outdoors at the moment).

That's brilliant, I lit the stove last night and the double glazed windows have condensation on the outside. Still about 18C inside.

All new houses should have been like yours for the last ten years. I "supervised", alongside my other duties, the refurbishment of a wing of an 1850s mansion that had burned and it was nigh on impossible to get the workers to adhere to good standards for cold bridging etc. It turned out well and my old boss now lives there.

[richbee]

Had to keep the bedroom air con on all night last night to hold the temperature down to around 20°C as it was a bit uncomfortable the night before, at around 23°C. The temperature in the hall here right now is still at 22.8°C, and will probably stay around there given how mild the weather is at the moment (it's 16°C outdoors at the moment).

Alright - no need to show off to those of us in the freezing north

[Oldgreybeard]

That's brilliant, I lit the stove last night and the double glazed windows have condensation on the outside. Still about 18C inside.

Condensation and frost on the outside of the windows is one of the slight nuisance factors with our triple glazing. Very common in cold weather to find that the outside of the windows is covered in frost. Reminds me of my bedroom windows when I was a small boy, except then the frost was always on the inside!

[openspaceman]

Reminds me of my bedroom windows when I was a small boy, except then the frost was always on the inside!

Yes that is a theme when us oldies discuss home heating, basically upstairs rooms were not heated and the kitchen and sitting room were where we congregated in the evenings. As a result even though insulation was poor less heat energy was used overall.

I saw it published that average winter indoor temperatures were only 13C but cannot find the cite now,

Also the patterns of the frost on the windows (solidified vapour from our breathing) formed in lovely patterns.

My big sister taught me to write in that frosting.

[Stinsy]

That's brilliant, I lit the stove last night and the double glazed windows have condensation on the outside. Still about 18C inside.

Condensation and frost on the outside of the windows is one of the slight nuisance factors with our triple glazing. Very common in cold weather to find that the outside of the windows is covered in frost. Reminds me of my bedroom windows when I was a small boy, except then the frost was always on the inside!

Yes. My triple glazed units often have lots of condensation on the outside. Sometimes the north-facing ones stay frosty all day!