9 thoughts on “Green Economy Leadership Training: Rebuilding Cities from Ground up”
“Weatherising” homes? More like making them into death traps (in the event of a fire) and ovens (in the event of a heatwave)…
Surely there must be an alternative… Oh yeah, there is: It’s called taking people off the grid by subsidising all forms of micro power generation… Which would also avoid the need for a new generation of high voltage power distribution lines (either overhead or burried in the ground)…
Yet another victory for short-termism; and a failure to think outside the box…
Umm, I’m a bit skeptical of the claim that this type of weather-proofing would make a home a death trap in the event of a fire. Is there any statistical or insurance data to back that up?
Also, insulation works during both a cold snap and a heat wave. Heat transfer principles work whether the outside of the house is cold or hot. Increase the thermal resistance (better insulation) and one can reduce the amount of power required to maintain the temperature difference between the outside/inside of the building (lower heating and A/C bills). Plus, if you are concerned about a well-insulated home becoming an oven during the summer, just open all the windows and bypass the insulation altogether, easy.
Yes, incentives should be in place to encourage on-site power generation, but these efficiency measures can ensure that the power generated is put to good use. On-site solar or wind energy that is converted into electricity is a resource, and it is not wise to waste resources. If energy efficiency wasn’t a priority, why not make our houses with no insulation at all and install an oversized 0.5MW rated solar or wind generation unit for each home? It wouldn’t be an effective use of resources, for sure.
Energy efficiency should be right up there with renewable energy generation as far as priorities go. We shouldn’t let the short term low hanging fruit get in the way of long term goals, but we shouldn’t ignore the low hanging fruit either.
I’m not knocking the program (designed to help those unable to help themselves). However, my point is that fixing heavy-duty plastic across the inside of windows (rather than more expensive, conventional, double-glazing) appears to make opening the windows impossible! Unless of course the cheap-and-cheerful system being installed in the video does, in fact, allow the residents to open and close the window without damaging it.
this is way off base.
renewable energy on site does not work without good efficiency in the building.
You are proposing doing the hardest part of the job first, without taking care of the basics.
your “death trap” notion is utter nonsense.
OK, so a house with plastic sheeting stuck over all the windows may not be as dangerous as “a burning building with no exits” (i.e. William Hague describing the European Union in a financial crisis) but, in a smoke-filled room, a few seconds fumbling around trying to open a sealed window could mean the difference between life and death (assuming access to the stairs/doors is blocked of course). This was the point I was making.
the kids mentioned they were “lighting fires” to stay warm, in the absence of weatherization. that’s a hazard that could be avoided.
with the right state regulatory policy, it would pay utilities, and ratepayers, to finance real retrofitting on houses like this, because the payoff is so much more attractive than building new capacity. that will be the wave of the future.
It also creates far more jobs than building power plants, and in the very communities that need them most.
OK, so a house with plastic sheeting stuck over all the windows may not be as dangerous as “a burning building with no exits” (i.e. William Hague describing the European Union in a financial crisis) but, in a smoke-filled room, a few seconds fumbling around trying to open a sealed window could mean the difference between life and death (assuming access to the stairs/doors is blocked of course). This was the point I was making.
“Weatherising” homes? More like making them into death traps (in the event of a fire) and ovens (in the event of a heatwave)…
Surely there must be an alternative… Oh yeah, there is: It’s called taking people off the grid by subsidising all forms of micro power generation… Which would also avoid the need for a new generation of high voltage power distribution lines (either overhead or burried in the ground)…
Yet another victory for short-termism; and a failure to think outside the box…
Umm, I’m a bit skeptical of the claim that this type of weather-proofing would make a home a death trap in the event of a fire. Is there any statistical or insurance data to back that up?
Also, insulation works during both a cold snap and a heat wave. Heat transfer principles work whether the outside of the house is cold or hot. Increase the thermal resistance (better insulation) and one can reduce the amount of power required to maintain the temperature difference between the outside/inside of the building (lower heating and A/C bills). Plus, if you are concerned about a well-insulated home becoming an oven during the summer, just open all the windows and bypass the insulation altogether, easy.
Yes, incentives should be in place to encourage on-site power generation, but these efficiency measures can ensure that the power generated is put to good use. On-site solar or wind energy that is converted into electricity is a resource, and it is not wise to waste resources. If energy efficiency wasn’t a priority, why not make our houses with no insulation at all and install an oversized 0.5MW rated solar or wind generation unit for each home? It wouldn’t be an effective use of resources, for sure.
Energy efficiency should be right up there with renewable energy generation as far as priorities go. We shouldn’t let the short term low hanging fruit get in the way of long term goals, but we shouldn’t ignore the low hanging fruit either.
I’m not knocking the program (designed to help those unable to help themselves). However, my point is that fixing heavy-duty plastic across the inside of windows (rather than more expensive, conventional, double-glazing) appears to make opening the windows impossible! Unless of course the cheap-and-cheerful system being installed in the video does, in fact, allow the residents to open and close the window without damaging it.
this is way off base.
renewable energy on site does not work without good efficiency in the building.
You are proposing doing the hardest part of the job first, without taking care of the basics.
your “death trap” notion is utter nonsense.
OK, so a house with plastic sheeting stuck over all the windows may not be as dangerous as “a burning building with no exits” (i.e. William Hague describing the European Union in a financial crisis) but, in a smoke-filled room, a few seconds fumbling around trying to open a sealed window could mean the difference between life and death (assuming access to the stairs/doors is blocked of course). This was the point I was making.
the kids mentioned they were “lighting fires” to stay warm, in the absence of weatherization. that’s a hazard that could be avoided.
with the right state regulatory policy, it would pay utilities, and ratepayers, to finance real retrofitting on houses like this, because the payoff is so much more attractive than building new capacity. that will be the wave of the future.
It also creates far more jobs than building power plants, and in the very communities that need them most.
Awesome that these kids are learning at a young age how to participate in the community. Great program.
I’m an Ohio State guy, but I am certainly rooting for Detroit to make a comeback in a big way. Go Detroit!
OK, so a house with plastic sheeting stuck over all the windows may not be as dangerous as “a burning building with no exits” (i.e. William Hague describing the European Union in a financial crisis) but, in a smoke-filled room, a few seconds fumbling around trying to open a sealed window could mean the difference between life and death (assuming access to the stairs/doors is blocked of course). This was the point I was making.
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