A second more serious point, and it aligns with Simon's more or less, is that we may well be better off persuading govt to invest in boring chemical research to say find ways to make aerogel-like insulation in bulk, and better insulating fabrics for curtains rather than spending millions on  fancy computerised what-nots that allow you to be cloud connected so you can run a bath from the other side of the  planet, and the software will be out of support in 5 years, long before any modest saving has paid back..

"Negawatts"  of not needing the heating turned on at all are worth far more than millisecond precision remote controls.

The use of heat reflecting paints and surface treatments  is a similar totally non-sexy but necessary thing to be done.


The article in the original link sort of sets off on the wrong foot in my  opinion - buildings will be demolished and rebuilt over a period of centuries, maybe rather more in the UK and less in places like the US, and insulation upgrades need to  be cost effective over a decade or two, (see the other post on overprice passivhaus ) the only instant win that most working folk, especially those in rented accommodation can do within  a time-scale of perhaps a year  is a change of clothes.


Mike.


(and beware of forcing landlords to upgrade - the money to do that has to come from the tenants, the poorer of whom will then have to move to colder cheaper accommodation if the rent goes  up suddenly )

A second more serious point, and it aligns with Simon's more or less, is that we may well be better off persuading govt to invest in boring chemical research to say find ways to make aerogel-like insulation in bulk, and better insulating fabrics for curtains rather than spending millions on  fancy computerised what-nots that allow you to be cloud connected so you can run a bath from the other side of the  planet, and the software will be out of support in 5 years, long before any modest saving has paid back..

"Negawatts"  of not needing the heating turned on at all are worth far more than millisecond precision remote controls.

The use of heat reflecting paints and surface treatments  is a similar totally non-sexy but necessary thing to be done.


The article in the original link sort of sets off on the wrong foot in my  opinion - buildings will be demolished and rebuilt over a period of centuries, maybe rather more in the UK and less in places like the US, and insulation upgrades need to  be cost effective over a decade or two, (see the other post on overprice passivhaus ) the only instant win that most working folk, especially those in rented accommodation can do within  a time-scale of perhaps a year  is a change of clothes.


Mike.


(and beware of forcing landlords to upgrade - the money to do that has to come from the tenants, the poorer of whom will then have to move to colder cheaper accommodation if the rent goes  up suddenly )