Comfort in Green Building

A Green Home is Comfortable

The basic reason people live in houses is to be more comfortable and safe than they would be outdoors; houses buffer their inhabitants from weather extremes and keep them safe from animals, human or otherwise.

Unfortunately, architects and home designers often created homes of beauty in the past, then "threw" enough energy at these homes to make them comfortable. Now that utility bills and climate change have entered the green equation, design principles must adjust to include both beauty and energy efficiency.

Comfort is not determined by temperature alone. Other conditions that affect comfort are:

• Humidity
• Air movement (breezes, fans, drafts)
• Temperature of surrounding surfaces (cold window, hot stove)
• Activity levels of people (reading vs. vacuuming)
• Different perceptions of what is comfortable.

Perception is important: Some are comfortable in summer at 80 degrees, others consider that much too hot.

Most people are comfortable and easily maintain their own internal temperatures when temperatures around them are between 68 degrees and 80 degrees and when they are also:

• Sitting
• Lightly Clothed
• In still air
• In humidity of close to 50%

People also have slightly different perceptions of a comfortable daytime temperature as opposed to a comfortable nighttime temperature.

Despite the steroid growth of U.S. homes over the last 60 years, a large home is not more comfortable than a small home. 

See size of homes.

Do you need a green builder/remodeler
 in North Central Texas 
or the Dallas-Fort Worth area? 
Contact Terry Jensen 
972 251-1532 or 817 545-0140