Jim wrote:
"John Stumbles" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 16 Oct 2007 17:16:59 -0500, Jim wrote:

"Mary Fisher" wrote
In January 1993 we paid something over £300 for cavity wall insulation,
I am not familiar with this term. In the US, I have always used
paper-faced rolls of fiberglass stapeled between the wall studs. What is
CWI? The same? Sprayed foam/cellulose?
It's applicable to walls constructed of two skins of masonry (bricks or
blocks) with an air gap between them. When retrofitted, holes are drilled
in one skin (usually the outer) and fibrous or granular insulating
material
blown into the gap. In USAnia I think you generally have timber-frame and
other constructions where this wouldn't work.

Thank you; I have seen parallel brick walls with a space between, tied
together with an extra long brick every so often, in buildings hundreds of
years old. I don't know anyone in the US who lives in a home like that....
--
John Stumbles



There are methods of construction that work better/worse depending on te
climate you are in.

For example,. a typical scandinavian house will be timber framed with
massive insulation, and massive triple glazed windows facing south to
utilise thermal gain for what little winter sunlight is available.

A typical hot desert type climate house benefits from a massive masonry
constructon with huge overhanging eaves and possibly very think tiled
rooves - its not uncommon to see three or four layers of cement bound
tiles - such a hiouse can utilise cold nights to cool the whole
structure, and keep ity cool and shaded in the midafteroon heat.

In the US in the desert it merely sports a huge energy guzzling air
conditioner: energy is cheaper than masonry. Go figure.

Planting trees and parks can locally reduce the flooding problems and
cool areas of cities. Etc. Etc.

The answer to reducing energy consumption in e.g. the USA is simply to
ensure that oil prices spiral upwards - as they are doing. Once oil
becomes a rare and percious commodity, more cost effective energy
sources become competitve, and energy saving becimes plain finacial
comon sese.

The problem is that by then we will have turned the climate back into
what it was pre the carboniferous era..which was a climate suitable for
growing vast amount of primitive trees in a global swamp.

Not particularly kind to humans.

Euprope has quite accidentally had a huge energy tax for years..which is
why European cars are simply more efficient than e.g. US ones.