Are all houses just cold?

[Anonymous]

Houses are like snowflakes, every one is unique.

That said, a house built today, following modern codes and using modern techniques, is going to be much more comfortable in the winter. Modern codes call for houses to be pretty air-tight, and that air tightness should be tested during construction using a blower door. Good modern windows don't leak cold air and aren't cold to sit next to when it's cold out. The same with doors.

A well-engineered heating system will distribute the heat evenly throughout the house.

The temperature in a house will be determined by how much heat is dumped into it. How comfortable the house is depends on how evenly that heat is distributed.

Unfortunately, if a house wasn't built to be comfortable it's a pretty big job to upgrade it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Houses are like snowflakes, every one is unique.

That said, a house built today, following modern codes and using modern techniques, is going to be much more comfortable in the winter. Modern codes call for houses to be pretty air-tight, and that air tightness should be tested during construction using a blower door. Good modern windows don't leak cold air and aren't cold to sit next to when it's cold out. The same with doors.

A well-engineered heating system will distribute the heat evenly throughout the house.

The temperature in a house will be determined by how much heat is dumped into it. How comfortable the house is depends on how evenly that heat is distributed.

Unfortunately, if a house wasn't built to be comfortable it's a pretty big job to upgrade it.

Airtight also means more humidity trapped, which affects wet bulb readings and how a place feels (usually colder in winter and hotter in summer) so a humidity regulator is necessary in modern pods that don't breathe well.

Mold is also big issue in modern houses.

[Anonymous]

Do you have a heat pump or gas?

Heat pump never feels quite as warm.

If you ever go to upgrade you want a 2 stage heat pump or furnace. This will periodically, depending on your exact settings, circulate the air. This way you don’t end up with the temperature fluctuations, which in the end make you feel more cold.

[Anonymous]

We had this issue despite having the latest heat pumps, etc, so when we built our house in 2020, we opted for all natural gas heating and a steam humidifier. made a huge difference. heat pumps always feel slightly chilly unless you put on the heat strips which is expensive and defeats the whole purpose of a heat pump.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know—I have the same question. Mine is only warm upstairs! The main level is chilly and the basement is downright frigid.

No / bad insulation between floor and soil. The upper floors are warm because you have good insulation in roof / walls, and floors insulated by lower level.

[Anonymous]

In winter I wear two pairs of socks all the time, plus a camisole under my blouse, and a fleece jacket in the house. If I’m in a particularly cold room for a long time I use a blanket and/or a space heater for a bit. Trying to keep a whole house very warm in winter is a huge waste of energy. You have to be targeted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get a heated mattress pad - I’m obsessed with mine. I love it so much. And it has separate controls for each side too.

I would die with a heated mattress. I am still running my fan to cool the room at night.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Houses are like snowflakes, every one is unique.

That said, a house built today, following modern codes and using modern techniques, is going to be much more comfortable in the winter. Modern codes call for houses to be pretty air-tight, and that air tightness should be tested during construction using a blower door. Good modern windows don't leak cold air and aren't cold to sit next to when it's cold out. The same with doors.

A well-engineered heating system will distribute the heat evenly throughout the house.

The temperature in a house will be determined by how much heat is dumped into it. How comfortable the house is depends on how evenly that heat is distributed.

Unfortunately, if a house wasn't built to be comfortable it's a pretty big job to upgrade it.

Airtight also means more humidity trapped, which affects wet bulb readings and how a place feels (usually colder in winter and hotter in summer) so a humidity regulator is necessary in modern pods that don't breathe well.

Mold is also big issue in modern houses.

This. I've done the Passive House program and after weeks of ingesting their material, I'm convinced there is a lot of problems with their philosophy.
Basically, they want you to live in a ziploc bag with specific controlled holes for fresh air.
I'm an architect and have worked on traditional homes and extremely modernist commercial buildings. The building wrap for airtightness is a problem. If it's on the wrong side of insulation, the condensation will drip on the wrong side and you have a disaster slowly brewing (think about how a glass of ice water sweats in humid weather). It's also a problem in wrapping, i.e. imagine gift wrapping a modern building with extreme angles. The wrap can't by nature be clean, you'll need lots of glues and adhesives to deal with the funky corners, angles and window openings. Glues and adhesives almost always eventually fail.
And then there are all the silicone and acrylic sprays on modernist flat rooves. The roofers are under strictures about how and where they spray because it's airborne and can land on cars. Guess where else it can go - the local inhabitants breathe it in. Once a upon a time most rooves were sloped to shed water. Now we can entertain a flat roof and assume water will never pool and always move towards the gently sloped drain.
So all these modern plastics - they are a wonder and a pose problems. A layperson friend asked me why buildings are only guaranteed for about 20 years these days. I think this is why.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Houses are like snowflakes, every one is unique.

That said, a house built today, following modern codes and using modern techniques, is going to be much more comfortable in the winter. Modern codes call for houses to be pretty air-tight, and that air tightness should be tested during construction using a blower door. Good modern windows don't leak cold air and aren't cold to sit next to when it's cold out. The same with doors.

A well-engineered heating system will distribute the heat evenly throughout the house.

The temperature in a house will be determined by how much heat is dumped into it. How comfortable the house is depends on how evenly that heat is distributed.

Unfortunately, if a house wasn't built to be comfortable it's a pretty big job to upgrade it.

Airtight also means more humidity trapped, which affects wet bulb readings and how a place feels (usually colder in winter and hotter in summer) so a humidity regulator is necessary in modern pods that don't breathe well.

Mold is also big issue in modern houses.

This. I've done the Passive House program and after weeks of ingesting their material, I'm convinced there is a lot of problems with their philosophy.
Basically, they want you to live in a ziploc bag with specific controlled holes for fresh air.
I'm an architect and have worked on traditional homes and extremely modernist commercial buildings. The building wrap for airtightness is a problem. If it's on the wrong side of insulation, the condensation will drip on the wrong side and you have a disaster slowly brewing (think about how a glass of ice water sweats in humid weather). It's also a problem in wrapping, i.e. imagine gift wrapping a modern building with extreme angles. The wrap can't by nature be clean, you'll need lots of glues and adhesives to deal with the funky corners, angles and window openings. Glues and adhesives almost always eventually fail.
And then there are all the silicone and acrylic sprays on modernist flat rooves. The roofers are under strictures about how and where they spray because it's airborne and can land on cars. Guess where else it can go - the local inhabitants breathe it in. Once a upon a time most rooves were sloped to shed water. Now we can entertain a flat roof and assume water will never pool and always move towards the gently sloped drain.
So all these modern plastics - they are a wonder and a pose problems. A layperson friend asked me why buildings are only guaranteed for about 20 years these days. I think this is why.

The IRC now requires that houses be sealed to 3 ACH50 or less. If you don't believe in air sealing, do you design houses that aren't code-compliant?

[Anonymous]

You have to turn up your thermostat ans be prepared to pay the cost for that warmth especially if you have a electric heat pump.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We had this issue despite having the latest heat pumps, etc, so when we built our house in 2020, we opted for all natural gas heating and a steam humidifier. made a huge difference. heat pumps always feel slightly chilly unless you put on the heat strips which is expensive and defeats the whole purpose of a heat pump.

We did something similar about 10 years ago. Our 2-story tract house has 2 zones. Downstairs and finished basement use gas furnace and a highish efficiency AC. Upstairs uses a Heat Pump. We set thermostats so upstairs is slightly cooler than downstairs. In the summer heat, the heat pump does most of the cooling. In the winter, the gas furnace does most of the heating. This works well for us. We are warm even on very cold days thanks to the gas furnace.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Houses are like snowflakes, every one is unique.

That said, a house built today, following modern codes and using modern techniques, is going to be much more comfortable in the winter. Modern codes call for houses to be pretty air-tight, and that air tightness should be tested during construction using a blower door. Good modern windows don't leak cold air and aren't cold to sit next to when it's cold out. The same with doors.

A well-engineered heating system will distribute the heat evenly throughout the house.

The temperature in a house will be determined by how much heat is dumped into it. How comfortable the house is depends on how evenly that heat is distributed.

Unfortunately, if a house wasn't built to be comfortable it's a pretty big job to upgrade it.

Airtight also means more humidity trapped, which affects wet bulb readings and how a place feels (usually colder in winter and hotter in summer) so a humidity regulator is necessary in modern pods that don't breathe well.

Mold is also big issue in modern houses.

Humidity in winter makes the house more comfortable, that's why people run humidifiers.

In summer, the major source of humidity is outside air infiltrating. The tighter a house the less humid it is inside.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Houses are like snowflakes, every one is unique.

That said, a house built today, following modern codes and using modern techniques, is going to be much more comfortable in the winter. Modern codes call for houses to be pretty air-tight, and that air tightness should be tested during construction using a blower door. Good modern windows don't leak cold air and aren't cold to sit next to when it's cold out. The same with doors.

A well-engineered heating system will distribute the heat evenly throughout the house.

The temperature in a house will be determined by how much heat is dumped into it. How comfortable the house is depends on how evenly that heat is distributed.

Unfortunately, if a house wasn't built to be comfortable it's a pretty big job to upgrade it.

Airtight also means more humidity trapped, which affects wet bulb readings and how a place feels (usually colder in winter and hotter in summer) so a humidity regulator is necessary in modern pods that don't breathe well.

Mold is also big issue in modern houses.

This. I've done the Passive House program and after weeks of ingesting their material, I'm convinced there is a lot of problems with their philosophy.
Basically, they want you to live in a ziploc bag with specific controlled holes for fresh air.
I'm an architect and have worked on traditional homes and extremely modernist commercial buildings. The building wrap for airtightness is a problem. If it's on the wrong side of insulation, the condensation will drip on the wrong side and you have a disaster slowly brewing (think about how a glass of ice water sweats in humid weather). It's also a problem in wrapping, i.e. imagine gift wrapping a modern building with extreme angles. The wrap can't by nature be clean, you'll need lots of glues and adhesives to deal with the funky corners, angles and window openings. Glues and adhesives almost always eventually fail.
And then there are all the silicone and acrylic sprays on modernist flat rooves. The roofers are under strictures about how and where they spray because it's airborne and can land on cars. Guess where else it can go - the local inhabitants breathe it in. Once a upon a time most rooves were sloped to shed water. Now we can entertain a flat roof and assume water will never pool and always move towards the gently sloped drain.
So all these modern plastics - they are a wonder and a pose problems. A layperson friend asked me why buildings are only guaranteed for about 20 years these days. I think this is why.

The bolded part shows a fundamental misunderstanding of building science. The most commonly used building wrap is Tyvek, it goes on the exterior and is extremely permeable to water vapor. In any insulated assembly there needs to be a vapor barrier on the warm side, in a heating climate that's the interior. So vapor barrier on the interior, housewrap on the exterior.

Leaky houses have more problems with condensation than tight houses, because condensation is most problematic when there are temperature differences within the house, and leaky houses are more unevenly heated.

And when exactly was this mythical time when houses used to have more than 20 year guarantees? 99.9% of houses ever built had no guarantee at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You're older and feel the cold more, and perhaps don't move as much as when you were younger. I never worried about being cold when I was a kid.

My house feels frigid right now, because I haven't exerted myself for a few hours and I'm tired from the day. In the morning, when it's actually colder, I run around looking after my pets and don't feel the cold at all: I even take the dog out for his first potty break without a coat or sweater!

What size sweater does your dog wear?

[Anonymous]

Radiant floor heating is the best.