[Greenbuilding] [BULK] Re: Fw: Trying to maximize passive solar gain without investing too much....

[Lawrence Lile]

>Would you suggest then that insulating the thermal mass in the basement
might cause this effect - that it might be too expensive to heat it up
if it ever did get cool?  Do you think it would be a better investment
to insulate the interior of the basement (also living space) and add
some extra gyproc instead?

 

Distributed mass, in areas where it can absorb heat, is better than bulk
mass, in an area where it can't absorb much heat.  Lots of concrete in
the basement, if it doesn't have any South glass, won't accomplish much.
Double gyprock will accomplish more, and is an innovative approach.  

 

 

On the conventional heating issue - non forced air here means -
baseboards (eclectic or hydronic), in floor (electric or hydronic), heat
pumps - I have very little experience with these and don't actually know
how the heat gets distributed.  Which of these would you prefer in terms
of a 5 year turnaround time?

 

The way this used to work was, electric baseboard heaters were the
cheapest to install and the most expensive to operate.  In today's topsy
turvy energy market, that isn't always true anymore.  Were I to pick the
most efficient heating system, it would involve a heat pump, either
connected to forced air (very common) or hydronic (uncommon).  Radiant
floor heat is all the rage, and I can tell you from experience if this
isn't installed right, it can cost a whale of a lot to run.  I also
lived in a house with hydronic baseboard heat when I was a kid, which
seemed very practical. 

 

I would definitely consider forced air heat pumps, they are common, and
relatively cost effective. 

	 .  

	--Lawrence