What are the major difficulties in heating and cooling an old house?

 What are the major difficulties in heating and cooling an old  house?

Older houses will tend to have thinner insulation, they could be draughty, and are likely to have less efficient heating systems. 

This means that as you try to heat you home the heat is escaping, and so you need to pay for more and more heat to keep the house at a comfortable temperature. 

It is the opposite in the summer. The cold air escapes, and heat from outside can get in easily. 

What technologies exist to bring more sustainable  options? 

There are many many ways in which you can make an old house more sustainable follow the 3 steps below to upgrade you old house:

• Be Lean - Install Insulation and Draft Proofing. Ventilate using heat recovery where possible. About 300mm / 12" of insulation is good in a loft. It is often harder to put extra insulation in walls and floors, but insulation can be "blown" in to these spaces. Blown EPS Beads are a good choice and perform very well. Draft proofing can work too, but some air flow is required to prevent mould growth, and other damp related issues. 

• Be Green - To reduce the carbon emissions associated with heating you home, opt for some renewable. Solar Panels on the roof, can generate green electricity, or make hot water for showers. 

• Be Clean - Opt for electric heating. Burning gas or oil to keep you home warm will reduce local air quality. Electric heating might include air source heat pumps or ground source heat pumps. 

How can you install ductwork and other airflow mechanisms without ruining an old home? 

Duct work can be installed in lofts and in crawl spaces with little effort. But in reality there is no need for ducting at all. Modern technologies such as heat pumps deliver heat to rooms through very thin tubing, and cause very little disruption. 

Electric under floor heating is invisible if installed sympathetically. Although it is an expensive way to heat a home, it can be affordable if yu home is well insulated. 

Some houses in Europe are built to a passivhaus standard meaning they require heating for only a few days a year. Even in very cold regions. 

What are low-budget  DIY projects you can do? (Sealing old doors, double glazed  windows, that kind of thing.)

A new set of window may look good, but they are one of least cost effective sustainability measures you can buy. 

Choose insulation and draft proofing first. Draft proofing strips can improve airtightness around old doors, but are seldom needed on new doors. 

Upgrading loft insulation from 50mm to 270mm, pays for itself in 4 years. In terms of carbon emissions the payback is just 6 months! 

Preliminary Ecological Appraisal Exeter

TMARS 419L Mechanical Dropper Seatpost - Review

Introduction

The TMARS 419L Mechanical Dropper is a cheap Mechanical Dropper Seatpost. I purchased one about a year ago, and although it worked OK, I returned it as it was an annoying bit of kit. 

The thing works. But it does not go up and down very much, and owing to he design, it can mean that you can no longer drop you saddle low enough, this inability to lower the saddle far enough is just as annoying whether the post is extended or lowered. 

Unfortunately I returned it without taking any pictures so this review is stock images only. Sorry

TMARS 419L Mechanical Dropper

Good Points 

The seat post is cheap, and it works. It takes a bit of getting used to. 

Lowering to Saddle 

In short you have to depress the remote lever, which allows you body weight to push down (drop) the saddle. 

Raising the Saddle 

When you raise the saddle, you have to keep weight on the saddle whilst against pressing he remote lever. The return spring is very strong. If you press the remote lever whilst hovering over the saddle "wham" it will shoot up and hit you in the crotch. 

These points are not bad. Its just how the thing works. 

Bad Points

There were three points for me that meant that I did not keep this TMARS Mechanical Dropper seat post:

1 - Minimum Height 

On my bike if I drop the standard seatpost all the way down, I am happy. I can get back over the rear wheel, and all is well. But I I use the TMARS 419L Mechanical Dropper, i found that now my saddle (at minimum height) is 3 inches higher, because of the various collars, and wires and clamps between telescopic section and top of seat tube. 

Clamps and Cable Fitting Prevent Full Lowering 

2 - Maximum Height 

Conversely it also means that if you currently use less than 120mm on a stand seatpost, then your saddle will be too high when this seatpost in fully extended.

3 - Side to Side Play

The seatpost has a lot of side to side play. The nose of the saddle will move approx 5 - 8mm in either direction. This is an annoying sensation.

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