[Cob] thermal mass, insulation and "Ianto says"

[Shannon C. Dealy]

On Fri, 23 Jul 2004, Amanda Peck wrote:

[snip]
> I'm too lazy to look it up, but as I remember it "IANTO SAYS" that you're
> fine in a house you actually live in full-time with cob and no extra wall
> insulation.  If you're going to use the building as a once-a-week community
[snip]

I think some context is probably missing here, like what climate the house
is in, and/or what heating system, etc.  Linda and Ianto's Cottage is
heated (rocket bench stove of course), and designs they have done for
colder climates have included things like a bale wrap to make up for cob's
poor insulation.  You are not going to generate enough heat from just
living in a cob house to keep it warm, unless it is in a climate
where your three to five day average temperatures rarely gets low
enuogh to need heat, or the house is: really small, connected to the
grid, uses incandescent lighting and you leave it on alot.  Might not
work even then, particularly in colder climates.

Shannon C. Dealy      |               DeaTech Research Inc.
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