The most comfortable interior temperature for human body
ranges from 66 to 78°F. For the most parts of the USA natural temperature
ranging from below freezing to 100°F or more.
The vast difference between natural temperature and temperature that are
necessary for comfortable interior living explains high fuel and energy
consumption for home heating and cooling.
What Can You Do To Keep Out The Cold
There are a lot of things you can do to implement
green design and conserve the energy in your home.
Increasing Insulation
Insulation protects interior of your home from outside temperature (cold or heat)
and is important factor of home energy conservation.
Insulation minimizes heat transfer by trapping layers of still air. This air can
be held in a void, or in the spaces of a lightweight airy material. The best
insulators are those that contain the most air. Of these, the safest are wood,
wool, cotton, and shredded paper. Dense materials, such as stone, are the worst
insulators.
Walls
Historically, a variety of methods that increase thermal performances of the house were used
to create a comfortable indoor living. In cold climates walls often were build
from thick logs creating a warm homes. Wooden paneling along with rugs, and
tapestries on the walls have long been used not just as an interior decorations
but to increase warmth and stabilize temperature inside the home. Materials like that
have kept traditional homes warm and inviting for centuries, providing endless
wall decor
opportunities. From elaborate mahogany paneling and large hand-crafted tapestries in
luxury estates to the simpler wall hangings and paneling in more modest homes this methods
of energy conservation are clearly still very popular today.
By adding an insulating backing you will increase effectiveness of wall hangings or paneling.
You should always remember to do not pack the insulation material too tightly.
By doing so you will allow room for air movement that eliminates problem with
condensation.
Windows
Though most people usually keep the windows that come with their house for fear of
exorbitant hassles and cost if they change them. The process is really not that
taxing nor expensive as long as you keep the original openings the same size. If you are
unhappy with
the look or performance of your windows you defiantly should look into your options. There are
a lot of
double-paneled energy efficient windows with insulating glass are available on today's market.
This windows come in variety of styles and sizes and prevent heat escaping through windows.
Window frames.
Wood window frames with clear glass are the most traditional. While
window frames can be either wood or aluminum, wood insulates better. We should
pay attention to the energy efficiency level of our windows. Manufacturers
should guarantee efficiency. (see also
solar energy)
Light-colored window frames are more often used in
traditional houses. A white frame tends to bring your eye back into the space
more than a darker color. Ideally, your window frames will be the same color as
all the other architectural elements in the room -
crown molding,
door trim,
panel chair-rail molding, and
baseboard. White reflects light, whereas a dark color or stain
absorbs it. Bronze-toned aluminum window frames are often used in modern spaces.
Many believe the dark color allows your eye to expand outward, allowing the
frame to recede into the distance visually, almost as though it were an unframed
picture.
Window Treatments.
Window treatments as well provide insulation and, as with wall hangings, the thicker the
material the better. To increase installation abilities of window treatments you
can sew weights into the hems so that the curtains stay in
place and keep out drafts more efficiently. If you have radiators below your
windows, keep curtains short above the radiator, or long but on the sides of the radiator.
You can also place a shelf above the radiator to deflect heat into the room.
Curtains can also be hung over doors to keep drafts out. Insulated blinds help
to limit cold radiation from windows at night. On other hands, in sunny and hot
climates, you will need shades or some form of sun-block in order to keep cool
air inside. Every year new products are formulated that allow you to enjoy your
views and sunlight without baking in the heat, squinting from glare, or having
your fabrics and rugs fade too much. Drawn shades or curtains during the day can
create a sad atmosphere.
Internal shutters are another way
to insulate windows. New shutters that fit in shutter boxes to match traditional
woodwork are costly. But simpler shutters that can be hinged in the window frame
or that slide on runners across the window are just as efficient. Adding
insulation to shutters will make them even more effective.
Keep your windows clean, by doing so you provide a maximum amount of sunlight to get inside your home.
Even if your window looks into an alleyway or directly into neighbor's house,
make the most of your windows and try to keep the glass clean. Dirty windows
are depressing and create a negative energy. If you are purchasing a new window
units, always inquire about cleaning access so you don't have to rely on
professional experts for hard-to-reach windows.
Floors
Floors are designed primarily to be walked on and to provide a foundation for
furnishings, therefore floors should be made from or covered with durable,
stain-resistant and energy efficient materials.
That is important to prevent heat loss from floors.
The easiest way to Wood floors has both resilient and non-resilient properties;
it is considered the most popular and versatile of all flooring materials. Wood
flooring is warn in winter, cool in summer, and smooth and lustrous all year
round.
A variety of options are available when specifying
green flooring materials that help protect the environment.
Heat often lost through traditional raised ground floors that have air
voids underneath. You can reduce the effect of drafty floorboards with a carpet laid over a thick pad.
The second measure that can prevent a significant amount of draft is a
quality baseboard and shoe molding.
There are a lot of baseboards that are made from environmentally friendly
materials are available; some of them have a shoe molding built right in (Miami baseboard as an example shown on the
featured picture).
Air voids were a feature of a healthy form of construction
designed to keep floor joists out of the damp earth and provide valuable
ventilation to prevent or remove mold and dampness. For this reason, when
insulating such floors to prevent heat loss into the air space, it is important
to maintain ventilation from one side of the house to another.
If the space under the floor is large enough to crawl into, you can staple or
pin insulation to the underside of the floor. Use a semi-rigid or batt-type
insulation material, with a minimum thickness of 4 inches.
If you cannot crawl under the floor, the only way to achieve good insulation is to lift the
floorboards and drape netting over the floor beams (or joists) to contain the
insulation. Alternatively, use a rigid insulation and rest this on battens nailed
to each side of the joists. Do not make the mistake of laying plastic sheeting
under the floor in the hope that this will prevent dampness - it will merely cause
condensation and will affect an indoor
air quality. Dampness is best removed by ventilation.
Increasing Thermal Performances
In Green Design orientation and basic constriction of the house largely impacts the thermal performances
of the home. Even though in most cases orientation and basic construction are already given
denominators you still can significantly reduce fuel and energy costs while
creating a comfortable home environment:
- Reduce the heating in your home by couple degrees. You will not only reduce your heating bill but
you will feel better as well
- Energy demands can be reduced by increasing insulation in your home
- Retain as much energy as possible by sealing your home, but you also have
to be sure that your home is adequately ventilated as well.
- Control your heat consumption, co you use it where and when it's needed
- Use the most efficient fuel, heat source, and method of heat distribution available
- Take advantage from the free heat from the sun. By letting sun in
you will not only increase a thermal performances of your home, in addition your
home will look more attractive and bright, filled with rejuvenating energy.
Keep your home warm by minimizing the loss of warm air through drafts. There are
two ways of doing this:
1. Seal gaps around doors and windows with rubber gaskets or or nylon brush weather stripping;
2. Make a vestibule at each external door.
These can make attractive entrance areas that are also useful for storing coats
and shoes or displaying plants.
When sealing your home, make sure that you
create adequate ventilation to keep the internal air healthy. The ideal is a warm house that stays at a reasonably
constant temperature and has adequate and controllable levels of ventilation—a
principle described by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as "seal tight, ventilate right".
