tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672883659746456880.post419416349466565076..comments2023-09-17T01:16:15.986-07:00Comments on Ration The Future: 6 month roundupJudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00371314706811756465noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672883659746456880.post-57225217168858454992013-09-27T20:29:27.947-07:002013-09-27T20:29:27.947-07:00I absolutely agree her home is brilliant, but yes,...I absolutely agree her home is brilliant, but yes, I think the closest most people could come would be upgrading during a renovation. Our home is timber, which means less insulating value, but much easier to insulate. I love the idea of no bills. Brilliant!Johttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14196528348800205276noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672883659746456880.post-2093140644088611642013-09-25T03:35:59.415-07:002013-09-25T03:35:59.415-07:00Thanks Jo. You are right, Tina's retrofit was ...Thanks Jo. You are right, Tina's retrofit was quite a serious one. Passiv House standard originated in Germany and the result should be a building that requires no heating (Or just a tiny bit in extremely cold weather.) Imagine no heating bills for the rest of your life! <br />It involves high levels of insulation and sealing the building so it is air tight, which is probably the hardest bit for an existing building. My home has insulated walls and roof, but I can still feel a draft at my feet, whilst I sit typing this, despite sealing up all the cracks around the skirting boards. I am hoping that we can get some thermal images taken this winter, which should show us where heat is escaping, so we can tackle some of the major areas of heat loss.<br />We are working on brick houses here, but I believe your home looked like it was timber clad and possibly timber frame? The problems are different for different building types, but you are right gradually increasing the insulation levels is the best thing you can do and is much cheaper if it is incorporated as part of a refurbishment. Tina was having a new loft conversion at the same time, so it was going to be a big job anyway. All the extra time and money means she has a future-proof home, which will be very low-cost to run for the next 40 years or more, despite escalating energy prices. That is my ideal for our home, but we are still a long way off.Judyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00371314706811756465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672883659746456880.post-42659840891108037162013-09-23T16:10:39.866-07:002013-09-23T16:10:39.866-07:00Wow, Judy, that is a great semi-annual report! You...Wow, Judy, that is a great semi-annual report! You keep such detailed records, and it's great that your family is getting on board. I fret about children's 'stuff' as well. I know my carbon footprint would be a lot smaller without them! However, I won't get rid of them for that reason.. and, it's not a competition, but a way to get us all to think about how we live. I buy lots of new things for the kids, not indulgent things (well, sometimes, let's be honest) but as you say, sports gear, uniforms, books. I could be more diligent and get them involved more in looking for alternatives. We have already had some good conversations along those lines.<br />I looked at the Hobbs video, and that house looks amazing, but I question whether it was really a retrofit. Looks like they tore most of the house out, and are rebuilding it completely, keeping only the shell. That isn't really going to be an option for most families. We insulated really well as we have renovated, but the unrenovated bits are just going to have to stay as they are, because we are not going to pull all our walls down, insulate, and build them again! Having said that, our house is much warmer just for the parts we have done, which is encouraging.<br />I do love your posts, they are very thought provoking and motivating, and I look forward to telling my parents they are peak pensioners!Johttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17803297366197086152noreply@blogger.com