Re: Urban cohousing: Common house on roof?
From: Sharon Villines (sharonsharonvillines.com)
Date: Thu, 10 Jan 2008 08:54:32 -0800 (PST)

On Jan 10, 2008, at 11:35 AM, Alexander Robin A wrote:

Maybe it was mentioned earlier but another key factor in making it easy for people to use the CH is to have it at a livable temperature all the time.

I agree wholeheartedly with setting the temps at a livable temperature. If you want people to use the commonhouse you have to invest in it. People do not stick around if the temperature is not comfortable and feel guilty if they turn it up. When the chief activity in the commonhouse is sitting in meetings, at dinner, and chatting, it's hard to be cold.

We have geothermal and have been told by two experts not to adjust the temperature up and down. The compressor is built to run short periods of time, not to play catch up by running for a long time in the morning or in the middle of the day for a meeting. We keep ours at 74 in the summer and 70 in the winter. We also have a gas fireplace that can be turned on to heat the room quickly with the aid of the fan on the HVAC system to boost it in cold temperatures. This allows people to have a temperature closer to 72, which is the temperature that is comfortable for most people.

I think it would be useful to investigate just how much money you save anyway from turning it up and down. It may not even be worth the cost. It may be better to invest in other means of keeping the room cool or warm -- energy efficiency, special windows, tighter double doors, etc.

There are often people in communities with physical challenges that make it very uncomfortable to have temperatures too far from normal. Even the 70 degrees in the winter is hard for them.

Sharon
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Sharon Villines
Takoma Village Cohousing,Washington DC
http://www.takomavillage.org


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