Hacker News Reader

Comment by teekert | Hacker News Reader

The subsidies are a scam that make construction companies more wealthy, there has hardly been a drop in the price you eventually pay imho. I insulated my entire house myself... No subsidy. Ah well, it is more comfortable (though partly we are exchanging the ability to stay warm in winter with that of staying cool in summer), but to say I really notice that we use much less gas... Not really actually. Strange right? I expected much more from it.

View on HN

Insulation helps with both staying warm and cool, though. After all, a big foam beer cooler is just a hollow box of insulation.

I think for a lot of Dutch houses the real issue is draftiness. No amount of insulation fixes that. Hell, the windows have required vents that can't really be closed properly installed per code. I thought the previous owners were quirky but then noticed _all_ the houses have these weird vents at the top of some windows.

Part of the reason for the ventilation requirements is due to burning fossil fuels in the home for heat and cooking.

You can ventilate a little less when you're generating less pollution in the home.

Some ventilation is still a good idea though.

"Some ventilation is still a good idea though."

I think a CO2 meter is an excellent idea, imho it is a good proxy for "air freshness", so also small particles etc. This year I want to try to ventilated more based on CO2 (so close the vents until CO2 becomes unacceptable) and monitor gas use (hooray for Home Assistant).

There's been research showing that high "acceptable" CO2 causes drop in cognitive abilities.

Modern-ish houses have mechanical ventilation, then you don't need vents. Old houses don't, so you need to get ventilate the passive way.

Yep. Forced to insulate but also have ventilation which undoes the isolation.

Also isolation is great unless you open a window xD

Yes but... check the CO2 levels when you close the vents, and watch the water flow from your windows, and see the mold grow on the north wall.

Also, isolation keeps out the heat... Until it is inside, then it keeps it there. I agree it makes air condition more economical, but not many people have them (yet, it's booming).

True, if your house is actually hotter than outdoor temps (so in the evening if your house was roasting all day).

Awnings and window shades are really important here. It's insane we don't have every south facing window with an exterior cover.

It wasn't that insane when our summer nights were 24 degrees C instead of 29, what a difference that makes.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com