These are some additional notes from
Gordon as he learns how to manage the temperature of the large thermal mass to
both maintain comfort and reduce winter heating bills. From Gordon:
Regarding my material that I passed
to you, specifically summertime temperatures, I said that the temperatures
were stable. This is generally true, but not entirely.
A more accurate description is
“comfortable”.
One half of concrete is fully
‘interior’ so generally reflects the interior temperature – both winter and
summer.
The other half of the concrete is
next to the exterior foam insulation Buried in the spreadsheet is the fact
that over the ‘six months’ of winter ’09, this concrete dropped about 10 to
11 degrees F. For the period of ’winter’ when the exterior concrete is
higher in temperature than the desired ambient – this is an asset, and helps
heat the house. During the latter half of the winter, it is plainly a
liability! I hadn’t really thought much about that early on so didn’t log
wall temperatures to any extent.
So when it comes to the ‘summer six
months’ – I’ve really just got a “learners’ permit” on how to operate the
house! I want the interior to be comfortable at all times. However it is
beneficial if I gradually allow the interior temperature to gradually rise
so that the outside walls gradually warm up – hopefully to a temperature
well above 70 F, preferably 76 or 77 F.
If I have open windows at night only
I can slow the process, and the interior temperature is quite stable. I
have been leaving some windows open all day every day, until now to allow
the warming process to occur. Current temperature is about 75 F in south
half and 73 in north wing. So the interior temperature has been rising at
about 2 ¼ degrees F per month since early May.
The concept of rejuvenating the
thermal battery is simple – but, non-trivial I’ve found.
Spring was cooler than normal, so
was June and July – quite significantly. Summer really started Aug 1 and
today hit 99 F! Being cool, I didn’t want to miss out reheating the outer
walls so probably allowed it to warm a little too quickly. Normally, summer
temperatures here peak the first week of August. It now seems summer is
finally under way – for how long, who knows?
Bottom line for others interested in
trying this type of retrofit - the savings in winter heating aren’t all
“free”. There are some summertime operating considerations. If you don’t
warm up the walls, you pay extra during the winter. If you try too hard,
late in summer it could be too warm inside. You can’t predict the weather,
so one is never quite sure where you stand.
As I said, I’ve got a “learners’
permit” J
Best wishes
Gordy
