JULY 2008 » book review

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This Cold House: The Simple Science of Energy Efficiency
by Colin Smith
The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD; 2007
248 pp.; hardcover; 18 halftones and 18 line drawings; $25
ISBN 978-0-801886-22-5

Reviewed by John H. Cluver

It seems that the major trend in housing these days is saving energy. Given the cost of heating fuel compared to past decades, many people would like to reduce their consumption and are willing to spend money on home renovations to do so. Unfortunately, too often the steps taken are misguided and result in money being wasted on big projects when simpler and cheaper solutions would have been more effective. The problem is that too many people do not understand basic concepts of household heating and cooling. Magazine articles touch on the subject and describe what a homeowner can do, but they rarely address the science or theory behind these actions. Books tend to be very technical and present confusing terms and can easily overwhelm the layman, the tradesperson and even the design professional. What has been needed is an easy-to-read, straightforward introduction to the basic concepts of home comfort and the various methods of insulating and heating the house. Fortunately, this need is now being met by Colin Smith's energy primer This Cold House: The Simple Science of Energy Efficiency.

The premise of Smith's book is straightforward: "[…] to inform your decision making about what to buy and how to use it to keep comfortable in an economic and environmentally friendly way." Given his background as a university-level physics teacher in Manchester, England, it would be natural to expect a dense tome of scientific terms and Byzantine formulas, all combined by a stiff prose that would make for a book best endured in short doses. Amazingly, however, Smith manages to write a book that explains the underlying principles of heat energy in a way that is accessible to those without scientific or engineering backgrounds or interests while presenting enough detailed information for a well-seasoned professional to glean nuggets of information.

The concepts are presented clearly and in a manner that is easy to understand. Terms, such as R-value and BTU, are concisely defined within the body of the text and again in an easily referenced glossary at the back of the book. A great effort was made to make the book read more like a friendly dialogue with a neighbor than like a textbook, as personal experiences and other narratives serve to introduce and illustrate each new concept. The igloos of the Inuit, Bill the Boiler Man and his father's frustrations in trying to light the fire every morning all give otherwise dry or abstract concepts a human element that makes them easier to understand and remember. As a favor to his American audience, Smith made efforts to translate his writing into American English, although the occasional metric unit or British term managed to make it past his British-American English dictionary. The net result is a lively book that, if desired, could be read in a single sitting.

As befits the writings of someone with scientific training, the book is very clearly organized. Each of the eight chapters touches on a specific and self-contained topic. The first chapter introduces the reader to the science of comfort, focusing on the ways in which the human body perceives and reacts to heat, cold and humidity. The following two chapters focus on insulation, reviewing how it works and the different materials used to impede the transfer of heat and airborne moisture through walls before proceeding to discuss ways to apply insulation, block drafts and otherwise mitigate heat loss.

The fourth chapter deals with the various types of heating fuel and includes a comparison of their characteristics. Particularly impressive is the clear comparison of the amount of heat energy that can be derived from each type of source and the efficiency of extracting and transferring that heat, which results in an "apples to apples" unit cost comparison of various modern methods of home heating (condensing boilers or furnaces are the most efficient and electric resistance heaters are the least).

The next three chapters address, in turn: fireplaces, stoves and other methods of "point of source" heating; types of centralized heating and cooling; and the principles and methods of controlling the levels of temperature and humidity in a house. Techniques for estimating the heat loss in a house and the resultant heating bill are provided; these allow homeowners to determine if their heating system is operating efficiently or what effect various improvements might make on the annual bill to determine if the changes are cost effective. The final chapter is dedicated to looking at the rapidly growing options in alternative fuels, celebrating the possibilities they offer while realistically considering the obstacles to their widespread use.

Each chapter of This Cold House builds on concepts previously presented, but the book is presented in such a way that it is possible to pick a particular topic and read just that one chapter. The structure follows the adage "tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them, then tell them what you told them." The preface lays out the basic approach, which is then thoroughly developed in the appropriate chapter. A convenient table summarizing each of the systems or options discussed concludes each chapter, along with a bonus box of additional tips pertinent to the topic. The ongoing environmental concerns of the author are revisited in the epilogue before the book concludes with a glossary, index and suggestions for further reading. Many chapters are strengthened by additional tables with useful information, such as the heat energy from various fuel sources and efficiencies of different types of heaters. A handful of simple diagrams also help to illustrate key concepts, such as the refrigeration cycle or how an improperly balanced duct can impact the temperature in a room. Unfortunately, the black-and-white photographs used to illustrate systems or elements described in the book are dull at best and do little to complement the text while having the unfortunate side effect of making the book look like it was written sometime in the 1970s.

My one major disappointment with the book is not with anything that Smith did, but what he did not do, as there are additional topics that I had hoped he would address. For a book whose title plays off the name of a long-standing preservation-focused television show and magazine, I had hoped for discussions of energy-saving techniques that would allow for improvements that would not jeopardize the integrity of an historic house. In addition, with his obvious analytical skills, Smith could have gone a step further and explored the life-cycle costs of various improvements in heating systems and building envelopes. For example, how long does it take to pay back the additional cost of a condensing boiler with the energy savings it generates? Or do replacement windows pay back their cost of installation within their typical lifespan? Answers to deeper questions such as these would have greatly assisted Smith in meeting his goal of helping the reader save money and the environment. My unfounded expectations notwithstanding, however, This Cold House: The Simple Science of Energy Efficiency lives up to its subtitle and serves as a great introduction to an otherwise tricky topic.  

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