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domestication_never t1_j1khbh6 wrote

Reply to comment by [deleted] in Struggling to afford heating bills, Britons turn to 'warm banks' to keep out the cold by rein_deer7

I have one on a 1950 wood house that just survived a winter storm, keeping it toasty 20c inside

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[deleted] t1_j1kit7g wrote

Good for you. Most older U.K. houses are one brick thick (zero cavity) houses which are by their nature thermally dense. Thermally dense houses work by having the heating first heat the fabric of the house which then retains the warmth and radiates it back into the living space. It’s exactly the same principle as early man building structures from large rocks and having large fire pits within them - they didn’t choose large stones for shits and giggles. Heat exchangers don’t generate enough heat to heat the fabric of thermally dense buildings, nor are traditionally built U.K. houses readily suitable for additional insulation - you’re taking dry lining with insulated plasterboard to achieve ‘meh’ level benefits

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domestication_never t1_j1kl3xk wrote

Plenty of brick houses here have heat pumps. This 1950s house is matchsticks and cardboard. It's got the insulative properties of wet shorts in a stiff winter breeze straight to the testies.

It has "aux heat" a very powerful resitive heater it'll use from time to time. Usually for about 10-20 mins a day. That costs significant money. The rest of the time it cost as much as an aircon to run. Which, coincidentally it also is for summer time.

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