this comment is really also about how miserable the weather gets in CanadaringthebellsJuly 28 2009, 14:30:35 UTC
Regarding your opening quote by Alexis Madrigal-it sounds very plausible, but thinking about my first-hand experience, I'm not sure that I see that happening. Here in Montreal, the winter is cold and the summer is hot. The cold is a much bigger problem than the heat, though, so the buildings have been built to keep us warm in the winter, and until the invention of air-conditioning we just had to suffer through summer best as we could. I don't really see any design elements changing post-air conditioning (except maybe windows that won't open on big office towers, but I think there may be other reasons for those as well?).
PS: I have such fond memories of hanging out in the Killam atrium!
Re: this comment is really also about how miserable the weather gets in CanadathisisfuriousJuly 28 2009, 16:36:46 UTC
I was thinking the same thing of Toronto: that it's quite hot in the summer and quite cold in the winter. I'm not sure which is the bigger season for energy use, although this Summer Challenge thing may suggest that it's summer? (http://www.torontohydro.com/electricsystem/summerchallenge/index.html) Then again, there are always exhortations from the city in the wintertime to improve insulation, leave the heat set lower, etc. I'd be interested to see what the numbers are, seasonally
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Re: this comment is really also about how miserable the weather gets in CanadasnowmitJuly 30 2009, 16:04:20 UTC
I have been thinking about this since you posted it because I think you are right, a lot of the "green your house" stuff doesn't seem to take into account Canadian weather (this is because there are more Americans I think).
Then, as if by magic, Worldchanging decided to post multiple articles yesterday about this kind of thing:
Some roofing specialists and architects argue that supporters fail to account for climate differences or the complexities of roof construction. In cooler climates, they say, reflective roofs can mean higher heating bills.
Scientists acknowledge that the extra heating costs may outweigh the air-conditioning savings in cities like Detroit or Minneapolis.
But for most types of construction, they say, light roofs yield significant net benefits as far north as New York or Chicago. Although those cities have cold winters, they are heat islands in the summer, with hundreds of thousands of square feet of roof surface absorbing energy.
Remember Halifax is a city that would rather have empty lots and big holes than new buildings out of some twisted ideal for what the city should look like.
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PS: I have such fond memories of hanging out in the Killam atrium!
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Then, as if by magic, Worldchanging decided to post multiple articles yesterday about this kind of thing:
Green Roofs: The Urban Jungle's canopy
http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/010211.html
What makes a skyscraper green?
http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/010222.html
And lastly but bestly: Le Grand Paris 2030
http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/010210.html
None of these cover kind of regular homeowner type transformations. More research is required!
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http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/30/science/earth/30degrees.html?_r=1&hpw
Some roofing specialists and architects argue that supporters fail to account for climate differences or the complexities of roof construction. In cooler climates, they say, reflective roofs can mean higher heating bills.
Scientists acknowledge that the extra heating costs may outweigh the air-conditioning savings in cities like Detroit or Minneapolis.
But for most types of construction, they say, light roofs yield significant net benefits as far north as New York or Chicago. Although those cities have cold winters, they are heat islands in the summer, with hundreds of thousands of square feet of roof surface absorbing energy.
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