Thermal insulation is a cornerstone of policies aimed at reducing the high energy consumption for heating and cooling buildings. 1 In many industrialized countries, building energy regulations require new and existing buildings to have insulated walls, floors, and roofs, as well as double- or triple-glazed windows. In cold weather, insulation slows down the heat loss from the interior to the exterior, reducing the energy use of the heating system. In hot weather, insulation delays the transfer of heat from the outside to the inside, thereby reducing the energy consumption of the air conditioning system.
Modern insulation methods involve the permanent addition of non-structural materials with high thermal resistance, such as fiberglass, cellulose, or mineral wool, to the building surfaces. Viewed in a historical context, this approach is unusual and stems from a shift in architectural style. 2 Preindustrial buildings often didn’t require extra insulation because they had a significant amount of thermal mass, which acts as a buffer to outside temperature fluctuations. Additionally, the building materials themselves could have high thermal resistance.
Viewed in a historical context, modern insulation methods are unusual and stem from a shift in architectural style.
For example, in the 12th and 13th centuries, Northern Europeans built thatched houses with straw roofs that were 60-80 cm thick. Walls were often built of clay and straw, which provided excellent levels of both thermal mass and thermal resistance. 3 In contrast, modern buildings are frequently steel and concrete structures that have very little thermal mass. Consequently, they are very sensitive to outside temperature fluctuations.
Furthermore, preindustrial buildings had few and small windows, which were often unglazed and closed only by sliding shutters at night. 4 On the other side, modern buildings have large glass surfaces, which results in significant heat losses in winter and high solar heat gain in summer.
In hot climates, buildings were also designed for maximal ventilation, for example, through the use of courtyards and building orientation. 5 By contrast, modern buildings often resemble one another, regardless of the local climate. All this results in high energy use for heating and cooling, so we add insulation and double-pane windows, especially since the oil crises of the 1970s.
Permanent versus Removable Insulation
A return to vernacular buildings, which maintain interiors at a comfortable temperature through architectural design rather than energy-intensive technical installations, could significantly reduce energy consumption for heating and cooling. However, it’s not a short-term solution: it would require a large amount of time, money, and energy to replace the existing building stock.
Fortunately, history offers an alternative solution that can be deployed more quickly and with fewer resources: textiles. Before the Industrial Revolution, people added a temporary layer of textile insulation to either the interior or the exterior of a building, depending on the climate and the season. In cold weather, walls, floors, roofs, windows, doors, and furniture were insulated with drapery and carpetry. In hot weather, windows, doors, facades, roofs, courtyards, and streets were shaded by awnings and toldos.
Removable insulation can achieve significant energy savings with much more flexibility than permanently enclosed insulation materials. Because modern insulation methods require construction permits and structural interventions to a building, they are expensive, time-consuming, and only accessible to home owners. Furthermore, modern insulation methods are ill-suited for older buildings, in which case they are often not financially and energetically sustainable. 67
People can often install removable insulation without obtaining building permits or hiring professionals, making it an affordable do-it-yourself solution within reach of everyone.
In contrast, removable textile insulation is suitable for both new and existing buildings, as well as for renters and owners alike. People can often install removable insulation without obtaining building permits or hiring professionals, making it an affordable do-it-yourself solution within reach of everyone. Removable insulation can be applied quickly and without causing a nuisance to residents and neighbors.
For cooling, textiles have another advantage. Airtight buildings with a permanent insulation layer may overheat dramatically if the electric cooling system fails during a heatwave. 8 In contrast, awnings and toldos can keep interiors comfortable independent of an electricity supply.
Winter: Carpets and Curtains
Historically, the use of removable textile layers followed different approaches depending on the climate. In cold regions, for example, in large parts of Europe, people installed various textile “devices” on the interior building surfaces to increase thermal comfort. Some of these, such as curtains and carpets, can still be found in modern interiors, although not to the same extent as they were used in earlier times.
For example, carpets were not only laid on floors but also hung on walls (“wall carpets” or “wall hangings”), draped over tables (“table mats”), and used on other furniture. Likewise, thick curtains were hung in front of windows but also doors (“portières”) or door openings and mounted around beds (“bed canopies” or “bed hangings”). 910111213141516 In some regions, people suspended thick fabrics, such as duvets and quilts, from the ceiling during the winter months. 171816
These “home fabrics” were usually made of natural wool, still one of the best-performing insulation materials. 19 The thermal resistance of wool remains the same whether it’s permanently enclosed in building surfaces or hung in front or laid on top of them. Floor carpets and wall hangings thus slowed down the heat transfer from the inside to the outside of the building, just like modern insulation methods do. Likewise, a set of wool curtains 2-3 cm thick gave a single-glazed window the insulation value of a modern double-glazed window. 20
Before the 18th century, Europeans imported oriental carpets but only used them on walls and furniture because they considered them too precious to walk on.
The production of wool rugs and carpets by flat weaving and, later, by knotting dates back to at least the early centuries AD in the Middle East, Central Asia, and the Far East. However, wool floor carpets only became commonplace in Europe around the 18th century, when carpet production was mechanized. Before that time, Europeans imported oriental carpets but only used them on walls and furniture because they considered them too precious to walk on. For floor insulation, they used animal skins, loose straws, or “rush mats” made from grasses. 1112132122
Home textiles also stopped draughts coming in through cracks in building surfaces and window and door frames. 9 That is the reason why window curtains evolved to open from both sides. Two-sided curtains can be open, providing daylight and a view while stopping draughts that enter through the poorly sealed joints between the wall and window frame. 1011
Two-sided curtains can be open, providing daylight and a view while stopping draughts that enter through the poorly sealed joints between the wall and window frame.
During winter, thick and heavy curtains could shield a space from the cold air coming in everytime someone opened the door. Such “portières” can still be found in the entrances of historical public buildings or cafés, but they were common in family dwellings as well. 10111716
Fabrics also increased comfort in ways that modern insulation methods cannot. Floor carpets slowed down the conductive heat transfer from the feet to the cold floor, while table mats brought arms and hands in contact with a warmer surface. Duvets hanging from the ceiling, bed hangings, and table mats all accumulated heat from the human body or another heat source in a smaller space. 171816
Upholstered Chairs, Wainscoted Walls
Textiles could also be combined with woodwork to the same effect. For example, the folding screen was a work of tapestry and carpentry that blocked draughts and reflected radiant heat from a fireplace. 9 Upholstered chairs, which appeared at the end of the 1600s, had a cushion encased in the covering material and were padded with feathers, wool, horsehair, down, or rags. 12 They provided a softer seating surface but also reduced the conductive heat loss from the body to the furniture. 9 Pillows also contributed to thermal comfort.
Some decorative devices, consisting of wood or plaster, fulfilled similar functions to textiles. For example, molding stopped draughts and was used to cover joints between walls and floors (baseboards), ceilings (crown moldings), and doors and windows (casings). 923 Some houses had wooden partitions hinged to the ceiling that were let down in winter to concentrate warmth around the fireplace. 24
Molding stopped draughts and was used to cover joints between walls and floors, ceilings, and doors and windows.
Wainscoting was a type of oak or pine wood paneling typically installed over a wall’s lower portion, a practice that dates back to the late Middle Ages. 91225 Such wooden paneling could also be upholstered, further increasing its thermal insulation value. Interior shutters could replace curtains. Box beds were closed on all sides by panels of wood, substituting for bed hangings.
Unfortunately, there is very little academic research on the potential energy savings of home textiles and similar devices, whether used alone or in combination with permanent insulation. There is a handful of older studies that calculate the insulation values of floor or wall carpets, but none examine the combined effects of interior fabrics and other decorative elements. 26
Summer: Awnings
The home textiles described above were primarily used to improve thermal comfort in cold weather. The exception is the window curtain, which not only keeps heat indoors during winter but can also keep solar heat out in summer, resulting in a cooler environment. 27 However, for cooling purposes, window textiles are much more effectively used on the building’s exterior in the form of an “awning,” which blocks solar heat before it enters through the glazing. 28
In Europe, both window curtains and awnings only emerged in the 16th and 17th centuries, when glass became affordable enough to allow for larger areas of glazing. 101221 As mentioned, larger windows complicate the heating and cooling of buildings. Still, they also have advantages: they provide free solar heat in winter, increase natural ventilation, offer a better view, and allow for daylight throughout the year. 22729
Window curtains and awnings - the latter usually made of canvas - can reconcile all these concerns. For example, an awning can block solar gain in the summer while keeping the window open for ventilation and continuing to provide a view and lighting. 30 In the 19th and early 20th centuries, European and North American cities were dressed in awnings. Several skyscrapers in New York City and Chicago originally had them, too. 31
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, European and North American cities were dressed in awnings.
Awnings and air conditioning can be combined, resulting in a significant decrease in energy consumption. Several studies show that awnings can reduce the energy use of air conditioning systems by one-third to more than one-half of the total, yielding energy savings that surpass those of more expensive double-pane or low-emissivity glazing (which is designed to block UV rays). 832333435363738 Nowadays, windows are larger than ever, and so awnings can obtain very good results for a relatively small investment.
Summer: Toldos
Outside of Western Europe and North America, the use of exterior “curtains” for cooling predates the use of glass windows by many centuries. For at least 2,000 years in the Middle East and around the Mediterranean, people used textiles not only to shade (unglazed) windows and doors but also roofs, facades, courtyards, and entire streets. Such textile furnishings are known as “toldos” or “sun sails.”
The classical toldo, made from hemp canvas, is a rectangular or triangular, curtain-like awning suspended by sewn-on eyelets on parallel wires. 39 Micro perforations avoid the stagnation of warm air underneath the shading device. 40
In Ancient Rome, sailors assembled large “velaria” to shade amphitheaters. 394140 In Cairo, Egypt, street and courtyard canopies, or toldos, still characterize the cityscape, especially in some historic neighborhoods. 39 European cities with Islamic roots, such as Córdoba, Málaga, Granada, and Seville in Spain, continue to use or have revived the use of street toldos that span entire city streets and districts.
Although toldos have been used predominantly in desert climates, climate change makes them increasingly useful for temperate climate regions as well.
A 2020 study in Cordoba showed that street toldos decrease the temperature of pavement surfaces, building facades, and roofs by up to fifteen degrees Celsius. 40 Collective shading could thus replace individual awnings, but the cooling effect on buildings depends on street orientation. Although toldos have been used predominantly in desert climates, climate change makes them increasingly useful for temperate climate regions as well.
Unlike air-conditioning, awnings and toldos are robust, low-cost, and technically simple solutions within reach of most households and societies. 40 In Egypt, rather than a top-down development initiated by authorities, toldos are made and installed by residents in a “demonstration of an architectural bottom-up movement supported by a local industry of expertise and craftsmanship.” 39
Covered Streets
The boundary between removable and permanent insulation is not rigid on the outside, either. For example, louvered wooden shutters or architectural interventions such as recessed windows and covered galleries can replace awnings and toldos. 42
Residential streets in Islamic cities could be either partially covered by cantilevered buildings or totally by additional living spaces. Shopping streets were often completely covered, either heavily by perforated vaults, semi-heavily by high parapet walls and double-pitched roofs, or lightly by thick planks and reeds. 42
Trees can also serve as awnings and toldos. Deciduous trees shade buildings and streets in summer while allowing the sun to pass through in winter. However, trees take decades to grow and need water as well, which is often scarce in the regions where toldos have been used traditionally.
![Image left: British Counsel Building 1917. People in the hot, arid climate in the Red Sea region have traditionally used an elaborately carved wooden window screen called a “masharabiya” (Egypt), “rowshan” (Saudi Arabia) or “jali” (India, Pakistan). [^11][^28][^36] It consists of a wooden lattice structure that juts out into the street and covers a single window or multiple windows from the top to the bottom of the building. “Shishes”, woven grass or reed mats hung in windows and doorways, were the more affordable version for less wealthy people. Image right: Street Scene 1916. Photo credit: [^36].](https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/2025/06/dressing-and-undressing-the-home/images/dithers/roshans_dithered.png)
Textile Architecture: Tents
In all the examples above, textiles form an additional “soft” architectural layer, either on the inside or the outside of “hard” architectural building surfaces. However, the soft architectural layer can also stand on its own. In many parts of the world, rather than living in permanent structures made of wood, stone, mud, brick, or other materials, people inhabited lightweight, portable structures that they made almost entirely of textiles: tents. The tent’s velum serves as a curtain, wall carpet, and awning all at once - there is no hard building surface in between.
The tent’s velum serves as a curtain, wall carpet, and awning all at once - there is no hard building surface in between.
As an academic discipline, architectural history has largely ignored textile architecture, which arose among nomadic peoples or so-called “barbarians” outside the governed, “civilized” world. 4143 However, tents were as widespread as permanent buildings. They were the preferred shelter when two often related conditions prevailed: a lack of building materials and a need for mobility. Nomadic pastoralists utilized portable architecture across vast stretches of Eurasia, North Africa, and North America until relatively recently, and some still do. 41
One can still make strong arguments for the tent, even today, in terms of both sustainability and resilience. First, tents are significantly less resource-intensive to build than permanent structures. Second, permanent buildings need defenses against all types of natural threats, including heat waves, hurricanes, forest fires, flooding, and so on. In contrast, the tent allows you to solve these issues by relocation: you can flee from danger without leaving your home behind. Tents are also safe shelters in the case of an earthquake.
Tents for Hot and Cold Regions
Tents were found in regions subject to extreme heat or cold, demonstrating the versatility and effectiveness of textiles in providing thermal comfort. 41 Both the skin-covered conical tent of Northern Eurasia and North America, better known as the “tipi,” and the “kibitka” or felt tent, more popularly known as a “yurt,” were designed for efficient combustion in cold, windy climates. The structures served as a combustion chamber, chimney, and windbreak for the central fire, in addition to functioning as a dwelling. 41
In contrast, the “black tent” of the Middle East was designed to keep the heat outside rather than inside. Most closely resembling the tents we still use today, it was a non-skeletal tent with a prestressed velum, tensed in an aerodynamic shape over minimal wood supports. Unlike the mats and leather awnings of the conical tent and kibitka, the woven vellum made from black goat hair was strong enough in tension to be prestressed. 41 It absorbed heat while providing shade, and as a result, temperatures inside the black tent could be up to 10-15 degrees Celsius cooler than in the surrounding atmosphere. 4
Tipis
Kibitkas
Black tents
Dressing and Undressing the House
In modern buildings, maintaining thermal comfort requires no attention or effort from residents. If it gets colder in winter or hotter in summer, modern heating and cooling systems keep the thermostat-programmed indoor temperature by increasing energy use. In contrast, preindustrial buildings demanded active participation from their inhabitants. It was a common practice to adjust indoor and outdoor textiles according to the time of day, weather, and seasons.
The historical use of removable textile insulation reminds us of the act of dressing and undressing our bodies, which also relies on the weather and the seasons.
The historical use of removable textile insulation reminds us of the act of dressing and undressing our bodies, which also relies on the weather and the seasons. 16 Daily, people opened and closed curtains and awnings depending on the weather and the time of the day. 10 Street and courtyard toldos were folded together during the night so that the warmth stored in the thermal mass of the pavement and the buildings could radiate to the sky. 36 The same happened during windy weather.
![Image: In many historical cases, there were close relationships between upholstery, drapery, and dress. [^11] Detail from: Nicolas Ponce (1746–1831) after Pierre Antoine Baudouin (1723–1769), La toilette, engraving, 1771. Metropolitan Museum of Art, Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1954, 54.533.12. Image in the public domain.](https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/2025/06/dressing-and-undressing-the-home/images/dithers/textiles-and-clothes_dithered.png)
On a seasonal scale, rugs and carpets were rolled up in summer to expose the cold stone floor. Bed hangings made of thick materials, used in wintertime, were replaced by lighter textiles in summer, which allowed people to sleep without the nuisance of insects. 11 In Córdoba and other Spanish cities, street toldos are only installed between May and October. 40
Some people also added temporary winter insulation to the exterior of a structure by piling up a low barrier to cold temperatures along the lowest parts of the walls, especially the wall facing the prevailing wind. For example, in the colonial period in North America, Connecticut houses were often banked with turf, piles of leaves, or, near the coast, with seaweed. Even today, in rural areas of the northern US, bales of hay can be seen piled up around the foundations of frame houses. 4
Dressing and Undressing the Tent
Tents also demonstrate the seasonal nature of textiles. In Lapland, the tent cover was traditionally made of birch bark in the summer and reindeer skin in the winter. In the Mongolian and Turkish kibitka, the number of felt layers used to cover the tent frame depended on the outside temperature. During winter, two or three layers of felt may have been added, whereas in summer, the side felts were raised approximately half a meter off the ground to ventilate the interior. Native Americans regulated the intensity of the fire by opening and closing parts of the tent. In summer, they left the tipi partially open to the environment. 41
During winter, two or three layers of felt may have been added, whereas in summer, the side felts were raised approximately half a meter off the ground to ventilate the interior.
In black tents, an extra cotton lining, a tent within a tent, could be hung on the inside in winter as insulation against the cold. During the hot season, the tent was left open on all sides. The excellent wind stability of the black tent in strong winds also depended on regular interventions by the inhabitants. Because the open side of the tent faced away from the prevailing wind, a sudden change in wind direction required the residents to remove the front poles to the rear, take down the back wall, and reattach it across the tent’s front. 41
Tents could also have external insulation added during cold seasons. Some people surrounded their tents with wattle walls, while others built earthen walls around them or erected stone or mud walls. In Lapland, people sometimes covered the tent sides with snow in winter. 41 Some native American tribes piled earth and stones all around the base of their tipis to block cold drafts and add insulation. The practice also helped to anchor the structure against winter winds. 4
Privacy, Noise, Aesthetic Pleasure
While keeping people warm or cool, textiles also served other functions, both in permanent buildings and tents. First of all, they helped to mark off areas for private life. 10 Spaces were separated by curtains, which disrupted sightlines and muffled sounds. 910131716 Curtains could screen off certain areas dedicated to specific functions that required restricted access. 14 Bed hangings offered privacy in the absence of a separate bedroom. 10
Curtains and awnings provided privacy without sacrificing thermal comfort. During summer, a door curtain or awning could prevent outsiders from gazing into the interior when the doors or windows were open, allowing some degree of light and air. Rooms separated by door curtains provided some privacy from other residents while allowing air to move. 10 Textiles also protected people and their possessions from dust and insects, regulated the lighting of interiors, reduced noise, and made speech richer and more resonant. 1516
Finally, home textiles contributed to the adornment of the spaces in which they were hung, “either in their own right or as a backdrop or frame for the display of objects and persons, thus affording aesthetic pleasure and imparting a sense of solemnity, opulence, warmth, or intimacy, depending on the context.” 14 Textiles were often the most valuable items on display in an interior, and their quality and variety reflected the standing of their owners. 1114
Textiles were often the most valuable items on display in an interior, and their quality and variety reflected the standing of their owners.
For example, in most households, wall hangings were made of plain wool, linen, cotton, or leather, while the walls in castles, palaces, and rich houses were adorned with embossed leather hangings or tapestries presenting specific scenes or landscapes - made of silk and wool and intertwined with gold and silver threads to add richness. 1344
Air-conditioned, Bare-white Interiors
Nowadays, few of us live in buildings with door curtains, bed hangings, or awnings. The abundance of interior decoration gave way to a minimalist, neutral, and often bare-white interior design devoid of textiles. 91321 Likewise, we now prefer to build air-conditioned shopping malls instead of street markets covered by toldos. Of course, we can only do these things thanks to a seemingly endless stream of fossil fuels. 9
Curtains, carpets, awnings, and toldos have their inconveniences and disadvantages. They require attention and manual intervention, need to be cleaned, and can pose a fire risk unless made of wool or leather. 45 However, the continued burning of fossil fuels has even larger inconveniences and disadvantages, especially in the long term.
Textiles could decrease energy use and enhance comfort and livability in all types of buildings. Toldos could span the streets and roofs of entire city districts. History shows that removable textile insulation works.
Unfortunately, building and renovation regulations overlook the thermal insulation properties of carpets, curtains, and other textile devices. You may add as many thick curtains and carpets as you like; however, legislation will still require you to install double- or triple-glazed windows and insulated building surfaces, even though textiles could be just as effective in providing insulation. 6
On the outside of the building, awnings may not even be legal. The British Blind and Shutter Association had to fight hard to overturn a ban on awnings by the authorities. 30 And, in case you are considering it, in many countries, it’s forbidden to live in a tent, even if it’s on private property.
Thanks to Louise Morin for the inspiration.
Thanks to Jonas Görgen, Roel Roscam Abbing, and Marie Verdeil for their feedback on an earlier version of this article.
Reactions
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kthxbai
as someone with hayfever and dust allergies, i do wonder how i would fare in a textile-heavy environment meow, would the fabric lock the dust away and make it easier to clean rather than flat surfaces accumulating it or would it keep the dust in the air and trigger the allergies lots ?
i do think that more fabric would be so cosy but “modern” life strips away time from caring for your house which is sad an i wish didnt happen (i would be so cut out for that im great at doing housework and cleaning and matainance :3)
one thing i also wonder about is how i would live like that atm in the summer time i have a heat pump cool down where i sleepy so i can use my heavy blankets cuz i need pressure to sleep, so idk what i could do… chainmail blanket perhaps,,,
anyway meow great article !!!
kthxbai - max :3
Heather
Such an enjoyable read; thank you for taking the time to write and share this piece.
Sincerely, Heather
Tim McCormack
One related modern seasonal ritual we have in the northeastern US (and probably in some other cold-winter climates as well) is the application of window plastic in early winter, and its removal in spring.
For those who are unfamiliar this is a thin plastic film that is applied across the interior of the window using a double-sided tape against the window frame; the plastic itself has no insulation value, but the small air gap it creates reduces convection-related heat loss.
The effect is that it functions like a curtain, but you don’t lose any light or view. It’s not as pretty as curtains, of course, and it’s made from non-renewable materials, doesn’t compost, etc. But it’s interesting to make the comparison.
Kiko Denzer
In Oregon’s Willamette Valley, I have a black asphalt roof on an uninsulated shop building. In the summer I apply a thin coating of traditional limewash (calcium hydroxide and water). The first time I did it, I left a section unpainted in order to measure temperature differences. On the exterior surface, the temperature of the whitewashed area was 35°F cooler than the dark area. On the interior surfaces (of the plywood sheathing), temperatures were 15° lower.
I recently learned that there is, here, a “black roof lobby” working to insure that black asphalt roofing continues to be a common roofing material, even in hot climates.
Thanks for your good work!
Kiko Denzer, Philomath, Oregon
Lee Gough
I’ve always thought the “draft preventing” wall curtains once hung on pegs in US Shaker homes were a great idea. The pegs can stay up all year.
Look at the top photo
http://cumberlandvistas.blogspot.com/2012/09/hancock-shaker-village-part-two.html?m=1
Ben
Thanks for the piece, I enjoyed it. I had the good fortune of staying the night in a yurt camp by Song Kul (not sure if it was the one pictured). They are amazing structures and I enjoyed the experience, but I think it’s worth pointing out that they often use plastic sheeting as a waterproofing material and a coal stove to keep the place warm. Once the coal stove goes out at ~3am the interior becomes quite cold, and the plastic makes a racket when it’s windy.
I love the carpets I got from Kyrgyzstan and they really help keep the floor of my ‘coachhouse’ flat warm in the winter. I got them from an old lady who makes them by hand and she showed us ones she had made in the 1970s still very brightly colored and doing their job.
Philip Oldfield has a good social media presence (I follow him on Bluesky) posting about how architecture can incorporate more passive elements like these.
Cheers, Ben
Dominik
As always it a pleasure to see a new article in the email newsletter!
We’re in the process of upgrading our windows of a rooftop apartment with external rollers for the windows. These are the common ones in Germany, made out of metal, lasting 20 years, have a small solar powered motor and solar panel or are hand-cranked. So the manual interference (wind does not really bother them) is minimal, and they are effective in summer and winter. Biggest problem ist the price, I know almost no one, that does not want them, but especially when rented (or even owned) apartment it just very expensive.
I wish there was a cheaper option, but as soon as you need attach/drill something outside of the windows, it makes more sense to just go and save up for the proper solution.
But maybe a DIY ‘sun sail’ solution additional to our umbrella on the balcony would be nice. Does anyone have good articles about DIY solutions?
Greetings, Dominik
acracia
Very nice and documented article, as always.
Nevertheless, one common technique that I have found missing, and I practice myself on my house, is growing grapes around the house walls.
A grape trellis or pergola gives shade and fruit in Summer, and is almost gone in Winter, allowing the sun to heat the walls of the house. Also, they take less time to grow than trees. And provide of kindling for Winter.
L29Ah
It is sad you decided not to compare the heat flows and heat resistances of the outlined methods, despite the strong claims that modern architecture results in worse heat management, limiting yourself to a historical overview w/o engineering analysis. Textiles, for example, perform poorly as insulation compared to glass wool or XPS, and especially so if you account for the costs.
Mike Feddersen
Hi. You did a very thorough article on weatherizing a property. I didn’t see the use of sunscreens in your article, but I may have missed it. When we lived in Arizona I wanted to put up sunscreens, but they wanted $100 plus per window. Home Depot carried a do it yourself kit for around 15 dollars for the frame that consisted of aluminum edging. Cut it to length, attache corner pieces, cut sunscreen material and stitch to frame with rubber cord. I think I spent $300 or less on a 1500 square foot house. And instead of the sunscreen material I used shade cloth. On a blistering 110 degree Summer day you could stick your tongue against the inside of the window. I wouldn’t want to try that with an unshaded window.
Mike Feddersen
John Thackara
Tim McCormack: We use bubble wrap in the winter to insulate windows: a) cut wrap to shape; b) spray one side with with water before attaching to window pane. Done.
Carter
Hi!
On the latest article about textile insulation, comment number one is credited as kthxbai. I don’t think this is quite right - “kthxbai” is an abbreviation of “ok, thanks, bye” and among people who say things like “right meow” and “:3” it’s not an uncommon way to sign off. I think the writer’s signature of “kthxbai - max :3” means their name is probably max.
Hope this is helpful! I always love reading your articles and it brings me great joy to see a wider and wider group of people engaging with these ideas.
Viviane
Thanks, Kris, for an interesting and beautifully illustrated article!
I grew up in (then) temperate european countries, but both my parents were born (in the mid 30’s) and grew up in very warm climates. My mother always insisted strongly on the importance of external blinds and awnings for heat protection.
One reader comments about the “black-roof lobby.” That is an important point : many companies are benefitting from the need to insulate from the cold (in some countries, with governmental funding), and their interest is to offer the most profitable solution (for them). This often means a high tech option, and not the most ecologically sound one. It is important to make the public aware of such conflicts of interest.
Viviane