Just make me a goddamned hobbit hole that has less need for temperature management.
this post was submitted on 17 Jul 2024
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So, I'm lucky enough to have built a house, and earthworks are expensive. A hobbit hole would cost as much as the house we live in, without the actual building, just the hole.
I live in a garden level apartment (I think, it’s mostly underground with one exterior wall above ground for windows, set into a hill) and it’s extremely energy efficient. We do have to use dehydrators, but that can be done in very energy-efficient ways.
The apartments above us are significantly less energy efficient, so the big drawback I see is around housing density, which is probably a bigger issue than heating/cooling energy, but I don’t actually know.
Horses for courses. Every area is different. Some places have geothermal but also need constant heating, so a geothermal town heating system with high density makes sense. Other places are near the equator, and actually need to sink as much heat as possible year round, so separate housing with a lot of greenery to keep everything cool works better. In other places heat and cold is mild so good passive thermal design works well.
Where I live for example, it's good to prioritise air flow and thermal management, something which is significantly harder in an apartment. Having said that, during particularly cold nights, an apartment actually works better (but this is for a month in the year).
Yeah, I would have to blast bedrock to make a hole or buy tons of soil to bury a house lol.
Is there an awning form factor that doesn't block a significant part of the view? Seems like most the examples in the video blocked a lot of the window when looking straight out.
he mentioned that there are ones you can easily put down when you don't need them and said that if awnings were to become a thing he's sure they'd become smartified with some iot bullshit.
Biggest issue is that movable awnings would be more fragile, and fixed awnings are ugly and permanently block light.
Not sure they're coming back anytime soon.
Retractable awnings are VERY common in many parts of Europe, and they make a huge difference. I've got one on both balconies for my apartment, mine are electric and controlled by Home Assistant, I program them according to the position of the sun. You can install an anemometer to retract them automatically and protect them from damage.
That sounds amazing. Since I have an HA setup as well I'll see if that's an option here. We have a lot of South facing, large windows.
You don't need smart motors or smart awnings, just a normal motorized awning connected to your smart switch of choice. I have bticino zigbee switches for the shutters, and shelly wifi ones for the awnings.
You can buy smart awnings at German home improvement stores
https://www.bauhaus.info/gelenkarmmarkisen/solid-elements-gelenkarmmarkise-berlin-solar/p/30790441
oh thats awesome, thanks! if i ever own a house ill totally get awnings. that wont ever happen but i can dream.
At my parents old home, I helped install a retractable one that covered the patio.
Certainly more expensive than a basic awning, but excellent utility. And handy for the times a storm/high winds are going to be coming through.
Some years later, the switch wasn't working properly, so while fixing it I use the guts of a garage door opener (another replacement, broken motor) to use the wireless remote as a second relay control for the awning. This was about 15-20 years ago, I'd bet there are more options today. Even just ones with a dry contact you can more easily wire into a system.
What about instead painting your entire house black which is apparently the style in Australia
Why though? Do you guys hate having a small electricity bill?
While some parts of the world are trying to have lighter coloured asphalt.
In the parts that are actually hot, the new builds are generally off-white brick or double-brick buildings with white Colorbond roofs (an Aus brand of corrugated steel)
You do get the odd house with a dark roof, and when you go past them everyone points and laughs at how silly and uncomfortable they must be.
Oh hey, I'm watching this one rn by coincidence lmao I just wish it was one of his longer videos
I think I want to buy some awnings
What about some rollo blinds? We have them shut during daytime in summer in the rooms we don't use all the time. They also help sleep in the dark if that's your thing. The drawback is that they often create a weak spot wrt. Insulation.
Interior blinds are mentioned in the video: basically since they’re behind the glass the energy is still getting in and green-housing a bit. Blinds heating up is heat inside the room. Also block the view out, which awnings don’t.
If I’m interpreting the other poster correctly, they might be referring to what’s known as Roll-Laden in German, and they’re outside the glass.
Makes sense.
In that case better for efficiency than interior blinds, but still blocking your view out.
Would be handy for an especially hot day or week, but I wouldn’t like to have to keep my windows covered all summer.
They’re actually way more convenient than that! You have a strap on the inside of the window that you can use to raise or lower the shutters as much as you like. When it’s fully closed, the light is blocked out nearly completely though.
The video mentions exterior roller blinds as well, wasn't too in-depth but his main down points for them would be they still radiate heat close to the glass and they block all sunlight as well as airflow.
As a southern European, roller blinds or shutters are necessary for survival. What most people used to AC don't realize, is that ANY light brings in heat. Roller blinds have holes in them that get closed only when you roll them down completely: if your house is somewhat cool, leaving them down with the holes open gives enough airflow while keeping most of the heat out. If you have AC, it's even better, you don't need much light to see inside.
Awnings are also really ugly. Installing shudders that actually work is another option
Shutters?
You heard the man.
I've got roller shutters and motorized awnings. Very effective.
No the fuck they aren't. Get your eyes checked.