DT wrote:


I find this very hard to believe. What are typical R values for walls
and ceilings in the UK? How are your more efficient windows
constructed? What draft proof methods do you prefer?

In most areas of the US, new homes must pass the Residential Energy
Check which trades off insulation values and better windows and
doors, with heating and cooling efficiency. The higher the furnace
efficiency, the less unsulation you are required to have, etc.

My house (in Ohio) passed in 2005 using the 2003 ResCheck. I needed
walls with R 13 cavities and R 3.3 foam panels on the outside. The
ceilings are R 30 or 40, floors are R 19 over semi conditioned space,
(not open to the outside air).

A friend is building a home nearby and by the 2008 standards has to
have R 13 walls with R 6.5 foam panels, and R 49 ceilings, this is
with a geo-thermal heat pump.

I think my home is pretty average. Are you saying the homes on the UK
have R 70 walls and R 120 ceilings?

Many homes in the UK are so small they can be acclimatized in the winter
with mere body heat. Maybe one dog.