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.
Steffen80 schrieb:
Outside yesterday: 36°C (97°F)... inside 22 to 23°C (72 to 73°F). Constant 20°C (68°F) in the bedroom Oh dear, my wife would already be reaching for the winter pajamas again... nobody wants that... I much prefer a slight touch of nothingness. Long live ventilation systems, long live summer!
For us, without air conditioning, it’s almost 26°C (79°F). But I admit I’m starting to wonder if we should have prepared for air conditioning in the bedrooms.
I wouldn’t want it any cooler than 24-25°C (75-77°F) with outside temperatures like that. The temperature difference is too big and you end up catching one cold after another. It always annoys me when I’m traveling in southern China or Hong Kong. Outside 35°C (95°F), inside 20°C (68°F)… brr….
Best regards,
Andreas
WilhelmRo schrieb:
And this is exactly what I was thinking:
Why not combine the ventilation system with air conditioning? That way, it would be house-related. So, an air conditioner placed somewhere behind the intake to cool the air and then send it into the house : )Based on what I know so far, a ventilation system with a ground heat exchanger can only cool to a limited extent. Is the problem the air volume (not enough cool air?), or because the temperature of the outgoing air is too high?
I am currently researching cooling options as well. We will probably get a Vaillant recovair ventilation system and a Vaillant gas heating system. I don’t have more information at the moment.
WilhelmRo schrieb:
And this is exactly where I thought: Why not combine the ventilation system with the air conditioning? Then it would be house-related. So an air conditioner somewhere behind the intake to cool the air and then send it into the house : )Well, you’re not the first to think of that; the question comes up every now and then.
Mechanical ventilation with heat recovery simply isn’t designed to provide the large volumes of air needed to noticeably cool the indoor air. That’s not its intended purpose. What these systems were developed for—exchanging indoor air for fresh air—they can do easily.
Therefore, you would need huge fans and large air ducts throughout the house to make such a cooling concept work.
That’s why nighttime cooling through mechanical ventilation with heat recovery also works, at best, only to a limited extent.
We keep our house at 23°C (73°F) using shading and passive cooling through a ground-source heat pump. The cooling runs almost continuously but uses very little energy.
I had arranged for an air conditioning system to be installed, but I won’t add it later because I generally don’t like those devices and 23°C (73°F) is absolutely sufficient for me.
I had arranged for an air conditioning system to be installed, but I won’t add it later because I generally don’t like those devices and 23°C (73°F) is absolutely sufficient for me.
S
Steffen8031 Jul 2018 15:28andimann schrieb:
Oh God, my wife would already be pulling out her winter pajamas... nobody wants that... I much prefer a hint of nothing at all. Long live air conditioning, long live summer!
Here without air conditioning, it’s just under 26 degrees Celsius (79°F). But I admit, I’m already wondering if we should have prepared for air conditioning in the bedrooms.
I wouldn’t want it cooler than 24–25 degrees Celsius (75–77°F) given the outside temperatures. The difference becomes too big, and one cold after another follows. It always annoys me when I travel in southern China or Hong Kong. Outside 35 degrees Celsius (95°F), inside 20 degrees Celsius (68°F)... brr....
Best regards,
AndreasTalk to a medical professional. Air conditioning does not cause illness. Viruses and bacteria cause illness. This is a common misconception and comes from the fact that office buildings often have central air conditioning systems that circulate large volumes of air, sometimes from room to room, which helps viruses and bacteria spread quite well. At home, with one indoor unit per room, this does not happen. Air conditioning in cars and airplanes can also help distribute viruses and bacteria in the space. However, there must always be someone sick present for this to occur. If everyone at home is healthy, you can set the air conditioning to 18 degrees Celsius (64°F) and no one will get sick.
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