The consequences of new building regulations

[spudfan]

My wife and our daughter, who has special needs, were out this morning. Our daughter saw a newly built house that had no chimney and she mentioned to my wife that the house had no chimney. Then she asked "How does Santa get in?" My wife told her that they have to leave the window open!

They never thought of that when they drafted those building regulations!

[Ironroad]

Let's hope history is not repeating itself. Our first home built in 1972 had no chimney, and after the energy crisis in 1974 we received a government grant to install one. And a regulation was introduced to mandate chimneys in new builds so that in emergencies we would not be solely reliant on energy providers. Memories are short. 

[spudfan]

Yes I remember when Tallaght was being built up. The houses were built with no chimneys because oil was cheap. The oil crisis came and a LOT of houses had to have chimneys retrofitted. Politicians seem to take a blinkered view on issues and push it along never allowing for future options.

 

[Horsetan]

35 minutes ago, spudfan said:

.... Politicians seem to take a blinkered view on issues and push it along never allowing for future options.

Expediency.

[Broithe]

Perhaps these houses have had the flue vaccination?

[jhb171achill]

My second place of abode in adult life was what was a new-build in 1995. It had oil central heating and also an open fireplace in the living room, which had a back boiler. One a single occasion we had a power cut, which stopped the oil heating working, and we fired up a great big wood, coal and turf (ah! Memories!) fire. Plenty of hot water as a result for taps, amnd baths for three children.

On the other hand, that house would not be A or B rated today - possibly D.

Having said that I now live in a house which is 100% electric, and I do feel vulnerable. An open fire would scarcely be used in this household, as nobody ever sits long enough in one place to apprexciate the benefit of it - but it would be good to have. I still have a little turf left and can get more......

[Horsetan]

1 hour ago, jhb171achill said:

.... I now live in a house which is 100% electric, and I do feel vulnerable.....

Wait 'til some eejit hacks into the system from overseas

[spudfan]

When the power goes off I can still use the range and the sitting room fire. Every so often I have to run the hot water off as it does not circulate without the pump going. A tank of oil will last us 4 to five years as it is not our main source of heating.

[Mayner]

Back in the 70s and 80s when I was building houses in Ireland oil fired central heating was the main source of heating, with an expensive open fireplace in the lounge mainly for show. Apartment blocks tended to have electric heating.

In this chimneys are rare in modern housing in this part of the World with an increasing shift away from woodburning fires to heat pumps, we tend to fluctuate between cold and damp and hot and clammy weather.

We live in a 100 year old house in a conservation area nicknamed the Rocky Horror House once Richard O'Briens first New Zealand home. Despit our homes age our house no longer have chimneys, but metal flues for a wood burner in our Lounge and a gas fire in the fireplace in what would have been the parlour, we use electric heaters in bed and other rooms during winter. Other half is not gone on heat pumps, most effective approach to reducing energy costs would be to reduce heath loss by installing wall insulation, fitting replacement windows and going solar, but returns likely to be marginal considering the outlay.

 

[jhb171achill]

Out of curiosity what’s a typical winter temp and also high summer, and does it drop much at night?

[Mayner]

6 hours ago, jhb171achill said:

Out of curiosity what’s a typical winter temp and also high summer, and does it drop much at night?

Depends on where you live distance between top of North Island and bottom of South Island is lightly longer than between Lands End and John O'Groats.

We live in the Waikato in the Upper North Island both winter and summer slightly warmer than Ireland humid with high rainfall. Typical winter low 5-6C and occasional frost, gets up to low 30s high summer (late Jan-Feb), night time temperatures generally don't drop greatly during hot humid tropical weather systems typical of mid-late summer not unlike an Irish August.

Interestingly Santa doesn't seem to have problems getting down the flue of the wood burning stove in our lounge, when our kid was little, Santa's glass of whisky was always empty and the carrot for the reindeer always eaten when they checked out the Lounge on Christmas morning.