Thermal mass so stuff like stone, brick, earth or similar stores the average temperature. The more you have the longer the time period they average out over. So for in Panelleria the mean temperature in August is 26C and that is what those buildings keep over the entire day, even though it can get as hot as 34C during the day. If you have more thermal mass, for example in caves or underground structures, you can have the mean temperature of an entire year.
(Mainland France) When I was a kid, my parents decide to move to a big ancient house with thick stone walls with a lot of repairs, we talked a lot about these things. back then, in the 90s, stone walls were considered superior than average insulation, as it was mostly inexistant at the time.
Nowadays, it is much inferior and you really need to add insulation to be a bit efficient.
If you have more thermal mass, for example in caves or underground structures, you can have the mean temperature of an entire year.
Yep, here 13-14°C is the temperature of all the caves (that are not high in the mountains, altitude is a factor) and incidentally the temperature considered ideal to keep red wine.
This can be used with heat wells: have a way to exchange deep heat, with circulating water for instance, and in winter you can pre-heat your home at 14°C before adding energy. It is heavy work though to bury these pipes, and the efficiency of heat pumps nowadays makes this a bit irrelevant, but it is a nice low-tech possibility.
Thermal mass so stuff like stone, brick, earth or similar stores the average temperature. The more you have the longer the time period they average out over. So for in Panelleria the mean temperature in August is 26C and that is what those buildings keep over the entire day, even though it can get as hot as 34C during the day. If you have more thermal mass, for example in caves or underground structures, you can have the mean temperature of an entire year.
That’s dead interesting. I can’t profess to understand the hows and whys, but it’s amazing that these sorts of technologies were adopted so early.
Great stuff. I’d positively melt in 34degrees mins!
(Mainland France) When I was a kid, my parents decide to move to a big ancient house with thick stone walls with a lot of repairs, we talked a lot about these things. back then, in the 90s, stone walls were considered superior than average insulation, as it was mostly inexistant at the time.
Nowadays, it is much inferior and you really need to add insulation to be a bit efficient.
Yep, here 13-14°C is the temperature of all the caves (that are not high in the mountains, altitude is a factor) and incidentally the temperature considered ideal to keep red wine.
This can be used with heat wells: have a way to exchange deep heat, with circulating water for instance, and in winter you can pre-heat your home at 14°C before adding energy. It is heavy work though to bury these pipes, and the efficiency of heat pumps nowadays makes this a bit irrelevant, but it is a nice low-tech possibility.