Since people like analogies so much… This conversation reminds me of something else…
Person A:
Did you know you can heat your house from the sun? South facing windows, size the overhangs to reject summer sun, extra insulation, etcetera.
Person B:
No. I do not believe it. Unless you pay extra for a special house with a special certificate from a governing body regulating low energy construction, no house can be made or modified to be heated by the sun. You can’t mimic details to get there. You cannot copy construction techniques to get there.
Person A:
But wait, it works. I applied some rules of thumb and some hard math and calculated…
Person B:
Rules of thumb don’t work. The sun does not work. You see, not every house is heated by the sun- it must be wrong! Other houses have south windows, overhangs, insulation but they require supplemental heat. Houses can not be heated by the sun. You must have central HVAC, you see all houses have central HVAC. All architects design to have central HVAC.
Person A:
But I actually built one, and it works. See, here are some plans.
Person B:
You might have accidentally found something that worked for you, but it will not work for anyone else. Nobody listen to this other guy, he is wrong. See this plan has 12% glazing and this one has 10% glazing. Inconsistent. They don’t agree. Must be wrong. Everything is wrong. Install central HVAC or I will taunt you some more.
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You guys are free to believe what you want to believe. But it is 72.5 degrees inside, 43 degrees outside. Lows in the teens to twenties all week, but it hasn’t fell below 69.5 degrees at the coldest inside (the morning after a cloudy day). No heat going whatsoever, unless you count the sunlight.
Go ahead and don’t believe me, it doesn’t hurt my feelings. Have to have thick skin on the internet. My proof is in my pocketbook, when those utility bills come in that is my proof. Just like my aero devices, proof is at the pump. And I know my house is not designed perfectly, but it “works” and works pretty darn well in my book. Just like my aero add on devices.
My suggestion to anyone watching this thread- just go build something. It's fun! Design it the best you can, and get started.
