I am a registered architect. As an active contributor to one of the most damaging industries to our climate (construction & building systems), I often daydream about pivoting careers into something more productive for the planet. I’m not talking about stuff like green washing or ~LEED accreditation~. Even sustainably-focused jobs are hard to come by and usually pretty regionally specific. Architects have a broad set of skills, and it’s not always clear where I can take those skills and put them to better use.

Any thoughts/insight would be appreciated as I hop into my mid-life crisis before 30.

  • jet@hackertalks.comEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    Is there a set of standard guidelines for people who are retrofitting their own houses to use to make them as energy efficient as possible?

    When I briefly looked into the space, nothing seemed accessible, lots of snake oil selling of products, but no overarching wiki energy doing cost comparison of each solution. Especially given that different markets have different item costs

    • cerement@slrpnk.net
      1·
      1 year ago

      two areas to look into – for the low tech approach, traditional building in your area and passive solar building – for the high tech approach, Passive House

      for actual application, usually more a matter of focusing on generalizations

      • insulation (and superinsulation) – thick walls, extra insulation, air gaps, double- or triple-pane windows
      • avoiding thermal bridges – ie. direct connections between inside and outside allowing heat to conduct into the house in summer or escape the house in winter
      • thermal masses (“heat batteries”) – thick slabs to store heat during the day and release it at night
      • window overhangs that still allow natural sunlight in winter but shade windows in summer