Home Energy Efficiency Secrets: The Inside Story by Lynn John

Author:Lynn, John [Lynn, John]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Published: 2020-06-16T16:00:00+00:00

Picture 17

Picture 18

(Now affectionately known as The Cottage)

The interesting feature about this shed after “retrofitting” is that it is now a lot more thermally stable than our house from Hell. It has nowhere near the same temperature fluctuations and is really quite comfortable for a visitor’s overnight stay. In the summertime, even if it's not closed up, it is still much cooler inside than outside—and when it is closed up, it's even better! In the wintertime, it is always more comfortable inside the shed than outside. So, what did we do?

The walls of the entire shed and the ceiling are now covered with air gap insulation, which separates the high temperatures of the outside metal skin and prevents the heat from radiating into the shed. Between the air gap and the plasterboard are insulating batts, which also help to reduce noise. All of the internals of the shed are protected in a cocoon of insulation. The only serious thermal mass material is the concrete floor, which the earth is keeping at 23 degrees. Since the outside temperature is separated from the inside temperature, the inside temperature tends to be the same as the slab, which is 23 degrees. This shed is now quite comfortable to be in most times of the year. The orientation is way out and, in addition to the sun shining on the roof all day, it also has access to both the north- and east-facing walls. The steel building materials outside can get extremely hot, but the heat doesn't penetrate into the inside of the shed. This is quite a successful retrofit, and although this is not a permanently liveable area, this would be an efficient way to build a thermally stable and therefore a comfortable liveable area (also known as a house).

Exhibit C: This plain block shed has many fond memories. In fact, it was our family home for nearly two years when we moved onto the property. We call it “the Shouse” because it was our shed-house.

It certainly wasn't as flash in the early days when we lived in it as it is now. At the time, access was the via one of two roller doors, none of which sealed at the sides. The doors both had gaping clearances at the top, which permitted a huge amount of convection. I do remember the shouse being bitterly cold in the winter. I fitted a combustion stove, but to enjoy the heat, you had to be about two inches away from it. Because there was no ceiling, the heat rose immediately, whilst cooling breezes sashayed from the top of one roller door to the other. In the summertime, however, even back in the old days, it was incredibly comfortable. Visitors marvelled at how pleasant it was to be in the Shouse. But, of course, they didn't have to live in it in the wintertime. We moved into our new house well before it was finished (only an owner-builder is allowed to do that) because we didn't want to live another winter in the shed.

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