Our house was completed at the end of 2005. At that time, the regulations regarding thermal insulation were certainly not as strict as they are today, yet I still find the insulation to be, in my opinion, completely excessive.
A few weeks ago, when the mornings were still pleasantly cool, I tried ventilating the ground floor by cross-ventilation to lower the temperature to 20°C (68°F). After closing all the windows, it took less than an hour for the temperature to rise back up to 24.4°C (76°F). It goes without saying that
- all the heating systems were turned off
- such temperatures are not healthy over the long term.
The insulation craze is especially noticeable in the attic, where temperatures of 30°C (86°F) under similar outdoor conditions are common.
After careful consideration, I recently had an inverter air conditioning unit installed in the attic (I work exclusively from home), which has definitely greatly improved the living comfort.
However, to what extent this is compatible with the fundamentally good idea of reducing energy costs—especially considering the expected rise in peak temperatures due to climate change—is something I still wonder about...
Are there other ways to lower the basic indoor temperature to a healthy level (21-22°C / 70-72°F)?
P.S.: There are plenty of search results when looking up “insulation madness”... it makes you wonder if someone suspects something.
A few weeks ago, when the mornings were still pleasantly cool, I tried ventilating the ground floor by cross-ventilation to lower the temperature to 20°C (68°F). After closing all the windows, it took less than an hour for the temperature to rise back up to 24.4°C (76°F). It goes without saying that
- all the heating systems were turned off
- such temperatures are not healthy over the long term.
The insulation craze is especially noticeable in the attic, where temperatures of 30°C (86°F) under similar outdoor conditions are common.
After careful consideration, I recently had an inverter air conditioning unit installed in the attic (I work exclusively from home), which has definitely greatly improved the living comfort.
However, to what extent this is compatible with the fundamentally good idea of reducing energy costs—especially considering the expected rise in peak temperatures due to climate change—is something I still wonder about...
Are there other ways to lower the basic indoor temperature to a healthy level (21-22°C / 70-72°F)?
P.S.: There are plenty of search results when looking up “insulation madness”... it makes you wonder if someone suspects something.
S
Steffen8031 Jul 2018 10:02Curly schrieb:
That would be too cold for me to wear shorts and a T-shirt; in our area, it stays warm during winter.
Best regards,
SabineHow is that supposed to work? 1. Heat naturally rises upwards. 2. Do you all have cold feet there? Even in the bathroom during midsummer, I run HEAT through the underfloor heating to keep my feet from getting too cold. In the screed, I maintain a constant 4°C (39°F) higher temperature than the air.
S
Steffen8031 Jul 2018 10:05chand1986 schrieb:
You obviously ordered this summer’s heat along with your house, so you can celebrate now .
Seriously though, everyone is really happy about it, I would love to have one in the bedroom too.Well... we’ve had air conditioning in our rental apartment for many years, so it’s nothing new for us, and we used it regularly during the last few summers as well. But right now it’s extreme... that’s true... we’re currently using 15 kWh per day. About 5 EUR. But next year we’ll have solar panels on the roof, so then it will be more economical.
C
chand198631 Jul 2018 10:07Steffen80 schrieb:
I maintain a constant 4°C (7°F) higher temperature in the screed than in the air. You heat in summer and run the air conditioning at the same time to have cool air but warm feet??
S
Steffen8031 Jul 2018 10:10chand1986 schrieb:
So you heat in the summer and at the same time run the air conditioning to have cool air but warm feet??Yes and no... in the bathroom, where there is no air conditioning, but with tile flooring and only a 4°C (7°F) difference, there is hardly any effect. I can see this from the relatively constant air temperature in the bathroom. That’s acceptable. I do the same in the hallway on weekends (when the kids are home all day), as there are also tiles installed there. We all walk barefoot, and 22°C (72°F) tiles really feel quite cold. On wood flooring, of course, that is absolutely no problem.
C
chand198631 Jul 2018 10:19Steffen80 schrieb:
because tiles were also installed there. We all walk barefoot and 22°C (72°F) tiles really feel very cold.I never experienced it that way, but I am also not very sensitive and never have cold feet anyway.
Now, back to the OP, something surprises me here:
Humpatz schrieb:
We maintain 24°C (75°F) throughout the year here, as long as outdoor temperatures stay below 26 - 27°C (79 - 81°F).Why is the heat gain so high in a well-insulated house? At outdoor temperatures below 28°C (82°F), it should take a very long time to reach 24°C (75°F) indoors.
Provided excellent shading is used and the house is ventilated at night instead of heated. In that case, the 24°C (75°F) should not be reached for a longer period.