[Greenbuilding] Old buildings = better energy performance; why? NYT

[Reuben Deumling]

On Tue, Nov 19, 2013 at 10:17 AM, Jason Holstine <jason at amicusgreen.com>wrote:

>
> I have little doubt it’s about expectations (modern times: why should I
> have to wear a sweater in Feb) and quality of craftsmanship. Back in the
> day: thick walls, mass, heavy loads.
>

These were pretty much my assumptions as well, but I think the study is not
a time-series effort but a snapshot of buildings (old and new) today. So
unless older buildings have older people with older attitudes about comfort
living in them I'm not sure how measurable this would be.


> Post-war: process efficiency, quick turnaround and profitability trump
> quality and longevity.  For commercial buildings, newer buildings have more
> glass and modern electrical and communications services, allowing more PCs,
> server farms, routers, printers, monitors, faxes and technology to run
> constantly.
>

How many plug loads and how fancy the HVAC is would seem to be an obvious
correlate to age of the building.

>
>
>
> On 11/19/13 12:50 PM, "Gennaro Brooks-Church - Eco Brooklyn" <
> info at ecobrooklyn.com> wrote:
>
> I'm not sure it was about insulation so much as mass. The mass rounded off
> the extreme temp swings. And more sweaters.
>
> On Tuesday, November 19, 2013, Reuben Deumling <9watts at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Thoughts?
>
> "older buildings of every stripe, even those dating to the early 1900s,
> performed better than most structures from recent decades. Green-building
> experts say it is likely because they have fewer windows and thicker walls,
> which provide better insulation. "
>
>
> http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/03/nyregion/wide-differences-found-in-large-buildings-power-use.html?_r=0
>
>
>
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