[Dr Caleb]

Forget fiberglass. Aerogel. Sometimes referred to as <a href='http://eande.lbl.gov/ECS/aerogels/images/FLOWER.JPG'>'frozen smoke'</a>.<p> It's cost-ineffective right now, but a home built with this stuff could eliminate the need for a furnace. Even in Winter. <p> <a href='http://eande.lbl.gov/ECS/aerogels/satoc.htm'>Aerogel</a><p>

[Reverend Blair]

I've heard about this stuff before (The Jay Ingram show on Discovery, I think), but have never had an opportunity to even see it. I'm going to have to spend a major amount of time at that web-site now. Thanks Dr. Caleb.

[KevinGagnon]

Is there any homes build with this material yet?

Kevin

[Dr Caleb]

[QUOTE BY= KevinGagnon] Is there any homes build with this material yet? Kevin[/QUOTE] I doubt it. It's used for insulating small areas right now, and usually only gets produced in labs, and in small quantities.<p> It's far too costly like that to insulate a house with. Make a factory to start mass producing it, and the price would get economical. Free idea for some entrepeneur <p> Cool stuff though, eh Rev! That picture with the flower isn't out of focus or double exposed, that's what the stuff actually looks like!<p>

[Reverend Blair]

I don't trust pictures much, Caleb...I work in a commercial photo studio. I do trust technology though, at least to an extent. I used to do renovations for a living, so I've seen how far we've come. I also know that we could have come even further even quicker if we had wanted to. Something that really gets under my skin is how many contractors, new builders and in renovations, consider every "new" advance just another hassle they are being forced to deal with. That's part of the reason I started this thread. I'd just been talking to somebody (that I met in my building science course) who was telling me how houses have to "breathe" or there will be problems. I just knew there were new things around, but the same old myths were still there too. A house does need air, just like we do. We don't suck air in through any old orifice though, and neither should a house. Something interesting about aerogel is that is works as a vapour barrier as well as an insulation (actually that's what makes it so effective). That presents a major savings to anybody who has ever put up poly over their insulation. I have no doubt that if it was mass-produced and backed up by better housing codes that it would take off like mad.

[Kobuchi]

[QUOTE BY= Reverend Blair] We don't suck air in through any old orifice though, and neither should a house.[/QUOTE] <br /> <br />Umm, the entire surface of your skin breathes, Reverend Blair. It's a permeable moisture barrier. Otherwise I'd hate to shake your hand. <br /> <br />I'm just done working on a house only 12 years old. Total humidity trap, that one. All the baseboard heaters were scaled with rust, mildew on the walls and in them too. Green pipes and all the electrical terminals have corrosion. Sick. <br /> <br />Is the solution then to waste electricity driving exhaust fans or leaving more windows open, to draw air in from outdoors? That just defeats the insulation, at a cost in power yet. Drive a dehumidifier 24/7 to legitimise the energy efficiency of a total vapour barrier? <br /> <br />No. Examine the old houses that have no problems so get no attention, because they were built right in the first place. Let the house breathe a little. <br /> <br />I'm on the Wet Coast, so perhaps my experience doesn't apply where you are. Here, you can pretty well exploit sloping impermeables + gravity to handle all the outside moisture, and expect porous wall cavities to be bone dry throughout the year. Thermal insulation isn't such a big concern. If it were, I'd go with thicker walls, not tighter ones.

[Mazie]

Has any one here had a look at Bermed or earth-sheltered houses such as the ones they describe in the Mother Earth News? I would also like any views you may have on tankless water heaters, radiant floor heat & heat pumps, and of course,my favourate, the masonry stove or Russian Fireplace. <br /> In the articles, they all sound good but I have no way of knowing the science behind any of it. I do like the idea of being sheltered from the wind and using 'french drains' to keep the outside walls dry and possibly warmer. They say it is the damp as much as anything, that sucks the heat out through your cement walls. And having your rigid insulation on the outside totally water proof, is one way of staying warm in winter and cool in summer. <br /> Any thoughts on passive solar heating would also be welcome.

[Reverend Blair]

[QUOTE] Has any one here had a look at Bermed or earth-sheltered houses such as the ones they describe in the Mother Earth News?[/QUOTE] <br /> <br />They work very nicely. Dirt is a wonderful insulator. The biggest problem is with water, just like any basement. That can be handled with proper weeping tiles, water-proofing and landscaping. <br /> <br />[QUOTE]I would also like any views you may have on tankless water heaters, radiant floor heat & heat pumps, and of course,my favourate, the masonry stove or Russian Fireplace. [/QUOTE] <br /> <br />Everything I know about tankless water heaters impresses me. Our next one will be tankless. The important thing is that you aren't heating 40 gallons of water all day while you're at work. The gas versions cost a little more, but deliver hot water more quickly and have fewer parts to wear out. They require a wider vent though...6 inches instead of the standard 4, so that push the price up a lot. That combined with Manitoba's hydro generated electricity have me set on an electric heater. <br /> <br />Radiant floor heat is also great. My father has it in his house and not only is it efficient, but it keeps your feet warm. The comfort factor alone should be enough to justify it if you are building new or doing a major renovation. The installation is pretty invasive though, making it cost prohibitive for a retro-fit. <br /> <br />I don't know much about heat pumps, but I do know that there's a small subdivision going in here that is at least partially heated and cooled with them. That's in Winnipeg, so somebody has a lot of faith in them. <br /> <br />Passive solar heating is one of the oldest tricks in the book. It works. The best I've seen is ceramic tile flooring in a room with a southern exposure...it just collects heat all day long, then radiates it at night. Not exactly a silver bullet, but it can help a lot.

[Kory Yamashita]

A little twist to the floor heating is geothermal radiant heat. What you do is lay a network of pipes at a certain depth. Because the earth is a stable, warm temperature a few feet down (say 8 feet or so), you can run water through these pipes and then through the floors and walls of your house. Since the entire structure is at a pleasant temperature, the air inside it will approach that same temperature. Plus it uses no energy (other than to circulate the water) and causes no pollution. <br /> <br />I don't really understand why it hasn't been implemented on a broader scale yet. Maybe it's a relatively new idea.

[Mazie]

Thanks, I am always so cold and the idea of warm feet is like magic to me. I like the idea of a 'zero sum' house where the heating and cooling can be done, as much as possible, by mother nature herself. With higher energy cost in our future the idea of a tankless water heater makes sense to me. I do want to share more of this type of comment with as many as possible. You just don't hear about it much, I guess it's not sexy, however I think it's important. <br /> <br />edited cause I can't type.

[Reverend Blair]

[QUOTE]A little twist to the floor heating is geothermal radiant heat.[/QUOTE] <br /> <br />I believe that's what they've done in that subdivision I mentioned. <br /> <br />[QUOTE]You just don't hear about it much, I guess it's not sexy, however I think it's important. [/QUOTE] <br /> <br />That's largely a failing of the construction industry. They tend to build to minimum code and cut costs on mechanicals. <br /> <br />Things like geothermal heat pumps have a pretty high up-front cost. Extra excavation, extra materials etc. and it goes in the ground where the customer can't see it. <br /> <br />Forced air heated by gas is the most common form of heating in Winnipeg and most other Canadian cities. It's an old, inefficient technology and the air currents it generates cause comfort problems. It's cheap though, at least up front, and the big rectangular thing in the basement is easily seen by the customer. <br /> <br />If governments would offer some rebates on environmentally friendly heating methods, or at least drop PST and GST on them, it would go a long way towards encouraging people to look into them.