Month: March 2017

 

I’ve owned an electric car since July 2016 and I’m generally pretty enthusiastic about EVs. I’m excited by the idea that we might be able to make enormous reductions in transport energy use through switching from fossil fuels to electricity, and that we can simultaneously decarbonise electricity generation in order to have truly zero-carbon transport.

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In the previous post I looked at the main factors other than internal air temperature that affect how thermally comfortable we feel in a room. Internal surface temperature played a big role, both because of its influence on radiant heat loss and because of the ability of cold surfaces to cause fast-moving air through down draughts.

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I live in a 70’s house that has had double glazing installed but little else in the way of thermal improvements since then. Imagine the following situation. Yesterday was a mild winter’s day, temperatures around 10°C, and I was comfortably warm working at home. Today the weather’s changed, it’s been cold all night and now it’s hovering around zero and cloudy outside. Wearing the same clothes, and with the thermostat set at the same temperature, I feel chilly. After spending the morning cradling numerous cups of tea and still not warming up I finally turn the thermostat up a degree. Why, if the air temperature inside my house is the same on both days, do I feel colder today?

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