Why Do American Homes Suck?

[@UndecidedMF]

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[@kevintewey1157]

You admitted that the construction is poor and maybe that's your area but you also needed to admit the material fact that these are the worst investments in the entire world us real estate is the worst investment because they have the worst construction because they haven't been updated in over forty years and because they are the most expensive😢 Then we are still leaving out Community Transportation Etc and America fails miserably with all of these I can go into detail but what's the point it's never going to change without a revolution

[@mhx47]

Sorry, but you still keep omitting time frames. You save 5K+ compared to houses in your area in a year? Month, 10 years, 50 years?

[@johnnyjet3.1412]

somewhere in the 'Earthship' stuff, books or website, (I can't remember which) was a section on turning standard American house to 'Earthship' standards.

[@darrenmitchell2830]

Americain houses are made of wood. Which is stupid apart from the heat loss. You get a lttle bit of wind and your house blows down! Edinburgh, Scotland. Has buildings made from blocks of stone, like a castle. Here for last few hundred years, and next 1000 years! Plus they look amazing!

[@chrisheinzman3066]

Just wondering… I’m just wondering with all your bells and whistles on your house… how much did the house cost to build? (Ball park is ok too) if you don’t want to say I completely understand

[@Neomadra]

I can confirm that at least all somewhat new buildings in Germany are insulated like crazy. Last winter we had the natural gas crisis because of Russia's invasion, so we were worried about 10fold prices. Fortunately, we did not need to use the heater once. Our flat was never cooler than 20°C. Other benefits of insulation is noise reduction, which is really nice if you live close to a busy street or near an airport

[@chiquita683]

What were the temperatures in the area? Florida wouldn't have to worry about heating prices either

[@justaguyfromreddit]

​@chiquita683 in the winter it is common to get 0 degrees in the hotter zones of Germany and -10 in the colder ones. So I'd say ~-2 as an average

[@bhut1571]

Oh that's great. I live in a well insulated home in Northern Ontario (triple pane windows etc). Sadly if we lose power I've calculated that the interior temp would hit 0 C in under 3 days when the outside temp is - 40 C.

[@andreycham4797]

Last time Russia invaded Germany was 1945. .How did that event raise prices in fall of 2021?

[@Slayer666th]

@@andreycham4797 bro…

[@CoBy_CoBy-97]

i have also found that a lot of people think insulation is only for cold climates but it works just as well in hot climates, keeping the house cold on the inside and keeping the heat out

[@ChrisBigBad]

Especially with AC

[@Blaquer17]

We know it here in New Orleans, my power bill nearly triples in the summer from running the AC alone. it's just that replacing all the windows in a home built in the 60s would be over $20K. Making an old house energy efficient means making a LOT of changes.

[@CoBy_CoBy-97]

@@Blaquer17 now i dont know your economic situation but wouldn't that be a worth while investment? A one time payment to pay less for AC during summer? Depending on how it all fit together it may pay itself back in 10-20 years if not faster. Also if/when you at some point decide to sell your house it would increase the value right (ofc it is unlikely you will get all your investment back but some of it at least)?

[@Doki_LP]

*insulation

[@kaseyc5078]

It’s more expensive to hear a house than to cool it

[@robaitken4592]

Architect Here - I love studying energy design and try to implement it into projects. It always comes down to cost. Many clients embrace the money saved over time with energy efficient designs if they know they will be living in the house for decades. Developers on the other hand can and will never be bothered. Code builds through and through and pass energy operation costs onto the buyers/ renters.

[@logans3365]

Greed is the reason American houses suck so much. Capitalism only incentivizes profit, so even though e every efficient homes would benefit everyone by reducing energy consumption, and in turn cost and pollution, we will never see it because it hurts the profits of a few. Ridiculous

[@Policyparagon]

Gotta love how capitalism disrupts progress to a better future. Without a profit motive our housing code will never change.

[@solarcabin]

Agreed, US building codes suck and cities require homes that are too big to be efficient. I built my own home with 2x6 walls, super insulated and can heat, cook and heat water for about a dollar a day with propane. I have 1.2Kw of solar and I have most modern conveniences. Houses in the US are also not positioned to make use of solar and roof designs are not designed for solar. I use a ground mount solar system that allows positioning and easier to do maintenance and cleaning. US homes do not design n passive solar and natural cooling like porches, smaller windows and cross ventilation so they need huge AC units. I cool my entre house with a 45 watt evap cooler. Banks want traditional houses and builders want to build cheap and fast to make a profit!

[@georgeorwell7291]

Cost is a common excuse for american building... The amount of money wasted during building is insane. The lifetime cost of an american house is also much higher than a properly built home.... "but its so expensive" is the common excuse I always hear and its BS.

[@Serrol_]

@@georgeorwell7291 You don't understand a thing about homebuilding. Go ahead, try and build a house right now and build it to the Passivhaus standards. I bet you can't afford it.

[@KeljuIvan]

I came from Finland to Michigan in winter and was shocked when I felt the breeze indoors in the first house I visited. Leaky single pane windows in the northern states, what the hell? I couldn't help noticing other sources of waste: the bus driver left the engine running when he went on a coffee break and my friend didn't even think to stop the engine while fixing his flat tire. One time the stairwell in my dormitory was heated so well that the door handle was literally hot. Even flushing the toilet seemed to use neverending amounts of water. At the university diner I had to bring my own fork, because I got tired of eating with disposable plastic forks.

[@saturday1066]

unlikely they were single pane. more likely: the breeze was from every un-sealed joint at every juncture/plane. my parents' house was built in 1948 and has double pane windows ... that you can feel wind around the frame. and external corners. and where the walls meet the roof. etc.

[@JohnSmith-ti2kp]

Keljulvan_ Sometimes people like you make simple minded assumptions, for instance, on some vehicles, like that diesel bus, the price of the starter and battery are so high that it is sometimes better to leave the engine running for a short time than cause more wear on those expensive items. Also, not everywhere has a water shortage problem, and setting national standards to save water is just stupid, it should be left up to local and state governments.

[@benktlofgren4710]

@@JohnSmith-ti2kp Well they had all the time in the world to do it, if they don't I would want a federal one if I were a citizen.

[@Sandact6]

The fork thing I feel. Less for the pollution and more how they break apart on anything harder than jello.

[@saturday1066]

possible that the diner purposely used plastic bc uni students are (sorry, no offense) notorious for stealing utensils (because new to renting) an actual diner would prefer regular (metal) forks bc it's cheaper ... unless the students keep stealing them

[@coe141]

I built a home four years ago. I was unable to find a bulider in my area with passive home building experience. I chose a builder who advertised himself as a green builder. However, he seemed to focus on things like counter tops, roofing, and flooring. I was the one who initiated energy efficient features in my house. I was unable to afford solar panels, but I insulated the house well (2x6 on exterior walls), chose energy efficient appliances and a tankless water heater, and built the house on a slab so I didn't have to heat/cool a basement. For half the year my electric bills are in the $40 to $50 range for my 2364 sq ft home. My next door neighbor's are $200 to $300. My gas bill is $12.00 to $15.00 per month, $10.00 of which is for the privilege of having a gas acccount. Even if you don't build a net zero home, you can make affordable improvements.

[@rikwisselink-bijker]

I'm curious, why did you choose a tankless water heater?

[@coe141]

Water is heated only when I need it instead of using fuel to keep water heated 24/7. @@rikwisselink-bijker

[@PrograError]

@@rikwisselink-bijker it's a lot more water and power efficient, if not wrong... there's no need to heat a tank of hot water when you could have a flowing lukewarm water from the tankless that does a similar thing

[@grbradsk]

@@rikwisselink-bijker It's a bit of a trade-off. If you use a lot of hot water all the time, probably go with a tank. If you only use it a bit, definitely tankless. Tankless also has the upside of never running cold. When all the kids come home and sit in the shower, it's till hot.

[@paulmichaud3230]

You realize that basements are the most energy efficient right? Your reasoning make zero sense.

[@darianrichmond7678]

I've been working as a residential energy rater in the South Eastern US for about 7 years now. I would never buy a production house in the US. From inadequate local codes to builders trying to maximize profits, it's a nightmare out there for a prospective buyer. Someday when I have enough money I'll build my over engineered masterpiece of energy efficiency and climate resilience. Keep the great content coming!

[@markbeiser]

The large production home builders really put the K in Quality here in the US, especially when it comes to the thermal envelope.

[@WaltTaylorau]

You said it... "when I have enough money"

[@darianrichmond7678]

@@WaltTaylorau Right?! It's already going to cost more than any comparably sized house 😅

[@mjed1654]

E.X.A.C.T.L.Y.

[@JD-xo3xz]

We did just that seeing that the cost of an ICF home in this market is not as much more expensive as some would have you believe.

[@tronotrond]

Good video! I'm from Northern Europe and used to high quality houses (and design), and then I became a homeowner in Texas. A construction home from 2010. Since 80-90% of my electricity bill is keeping the house cool with AC, I was shocked to see things like the front door and other exterior doors had wide and visible gaps between the door and frame, and virtually no form of insulation. Not only letting the cool air escape, but also letting bugs walk in.

[@bj6515]

I've seen these gaps around doors on so many US made films/TV shows and always thought they were just thrown together film sets. This explains a lot.

[@philv3941]

Wtf !

[@NorwegianCrazyGuy]

I am from Norway myself but have lived some time in Vietnam and this annoys me to pieces! All windows and doors have visible gaps, some big enough to fit my finger! They got spiders, snakes and mosquitos and not to cheap electricity. When my nordic body moved from -5c to 35c, AC is an absolute must!

[@Joe44944]

​@@NorwegianCrazyGuy😂

[@MrJip65]

I worked in Texas for some time; coming from Western Europe, I was really surprised to find single glass windows, super hot aluminium window frames which you could not touch without getting burnt whilst at the same time you had to keep the airco on day and night; I had co-workers that said that without airco your house will simply collapse, termites will enter etc just unbelieveable for Europeans

[@jasonsmithconstruction5530]

As a home builder in Kentucky for over 25 years I can say we have done a bad job of even giving energy a thought. Our state is looking at adopting the 2021 IECC but it will exclude many things in certain. Recently as a company we’ve began to view this much differently. Our business is custom home building and as a rule our customers are more open to spending in the name of efficiency, but i do understand where spec home builders struggle with this. Great video.

[@xyzxyzxyzxyzxyzxyz]

On the other hand. As a European, I am amazed that houses are so cheap in the US, and that it seems (from TV building shows) that it is simply cheaper to tear down a 30 year old house and build a new house, instead of renovating it. Also, houses in the UK are similar to the US. It's mind-boggling really. And in southern Europe, climate sets differently challenges and realities from northern Europe. One thing that amazes me beyond anything though, is the lack of solar. In Scandinavia it's installed everywhere. On house roofs, in fields, on industrial properties. And for context. Southern Europe is on the same latitude as Northern US. Madrid is on the same latitude as New York! Up in the Arctic we have more solar than Southern US.

[@repatch43]

Energy is generally cheaper in the US. Why go solar when you're looking at many decades to recoop the cost? Solar coming down so much in price has certain spawned solar installations in some parts of the US where energy isn't that cheap, but there's a long way to go before other parts of the US with very cheap energy will go for it.

[@chrissasin6676]

US houses are not cheap,European houses are expensive/ taxes,government regulations/

[@kenneth6102]

UK is an embarrassment. The Conservative Party is a basket of pure corruption. Brexit is a clear demonstration of the political will of its ruling party in divergence from European standards, including construction.

[@maximipe]

@@chrissasin6676 ofc buying a house on the US has the caveat of needing a car to do anything, meaning fuel, expenses, etc. so we are comparing apples to oranges

[@critiqueofthegothgf]

@@maximipe shhh, don't mention the actual externalities of living in a single family home in a low density area in the middle of nowhere. americans dont like it when you point out that cost of living and quality of life are overall better when you dont have to drive half an hour to get groceries.

[@modero6370]

I'm in Alberta, Canada and I'm building a low energy house. I got the much better performance windows from Germany and what fascinated me was, that despite so much better and all the transportation involved, they also came a lot cheaper

[@wd8005]

I’m not sure on pricing but you can buy local Canadian Made Tilt & Turn Windows. Innotech in BC is a good example, they make certified passive house windows.

[@HotNoob]

windows are just so stupid expensive... when u want beyond double pane in canada. i'm just going to build my own. to put in perspective. my whole house, r50 walls, r50-r70 roof, 5000sqft, costing me $100k to build myself. excluding windows. no contractors other than spray foam. so i cant justify paying $40-50k for windows...

[@networkingdude]

@@HotNoob Building yourself is the way to go for sure! Windows don't need to cost what they do!

[@glenndennis6801]

​@HotNoob Well, as a builder, we did a house last year 3500 sqft that had $150k of windows and doors from Austria. When it was finished it had a air change of 0.3. Lowest the tester had ever seen.

[@wnose]

Who is the manufacturer you used?

[@Ekam-Sat]

I was born in Belgium and one of the things I find shocking in the US is that I see that some wooden homes which were constructed maybe 30 years ago are already in need of a complete repair down to the studs. Doesn't sound like the best ROI in my opinion. Yet they keep re-building the same way. And these wooden houses cost tuns of money. Some things I will never understand.

[@Blackadder75]

They don't build houses , they build oversized cabins

[@sylvanorboiciuc9352]

Houses are not build to last ,have an expire date so need to be demolished and build other house.

[@mr_obscure_universe]

There are covert forces that prevent wisdom from prevailing. Example - after one hurricane, Habitat for Humanity used SCIP (concrete sandwich wall panels) to rebuild homes. Even former president Jimmy Carter was photographed on the work crew. Months later, a hurricane hit the same area, and only the SCIP homes (Tri-D-Panel) survived. Fast forward to post hurricane Katrina (New Orleans), and HfH was rebuilding homes using WOOD FRAME [excremental expletive deleted]. Did "someone" feel insulted that po' folk were getting homes better built that their "betters"?

[@barryrobbins7694]

Americans are a very mobile population. The average American moves 11.7 times in their lifetime. Their house gets passed onto the next person and becomes their problem. It also makes it more difficult to have a sense of community.

[@Daniel-qr4cs]

I live in Canada and I can confirm. That or homes are built like crap😂😂. A new home can have many problems. Its a joke to say the least 😂😂😢😢😢

[@thetazlord]

What would be really cool is if you would create some sort of compiled list of things you did to achieve this net zero home. From the vendors you went through and the technologies they provide to the components you chose personally and why. I know making a video series is probably more lucrative than just handing that information out freely but after the project is complete, it would be nice to see something like that.

[@foxvulpes8245]

But then you would see the bill.

[@thetazlord]

@@foxvulpes8245 He’s perfectly welcome to redact any information he doesn’t feel comfortable sharing.

[@conanobrien1]

@@foxvulpes8245 It's obviously at least 30% more expensive in the beginning.

[@sparksmcgee6641]

Talk to good trades. We know how to do it, not the people selling priducts.

[@aaxa101]

I remember my first time in the US, it was cold and snowy near the canadian border. The walls of the hotel were extremely thin and look like paper. To compensate for this the heating had to be running 24/7. It shocked me the energy waste and how cheap was the overall construction (ah, and it was the best hotel in town)

[@BingusDingusLingus]

It’s cheaper to build a building like that, and ever since the 30’s basically housing in the United States hasn’t changed except for the asbestos thing (American companies denied the cancer for so long) and “in the midwest/south there’s tornadoes so even a brick house won’t last” gets thrown around as an argument. Probably American companies don’t plan on America existing that long so they don’t care😢

[@SLOBeachboy]

I’m not quite sure what you mean by “looked thin like paper”. For the past 100 years houses have been built in the USA using 2”x4” studs in the walls meaning that the finished wall is about 6 inches thick and the insulation in the wall is 4 inches thick. And I cannot imagine anyone thinking that 6 inches is “paper thin”. In any case while these kinds of walls are fine for moderate climates they do not allow for enough insulation in very cold climates and that is why over the past 20 years or so we have started seeing much better insulated homes and businesses in very cold areas. They can either opt to use 2’x6” studs in the walls to allow for 6 inches of insulation or they can use a standard wall and add an additional 2 inches of Styrofoam insulation underneath the exterior sheathing. And of course, Pretty much all houses have been built with double glazed windows since the late 90’s. That being said, since about 80% of a buildings heat loss is through the roof the ceiling insulation is always much more important than wall insulation. Speaking of hotels by the way, I recently had to spend several months in a hotel here in southern California after moving back to California after several years living in Asia. Anyway, this hotel was so energy efficient that I rarely ever even turned on the heater or air conditioner despite outside temperatures that ranged from over 100 degrees to below 40 degrees by the time I left. So even in moderate climates they are starting to construct much more energy efficient buildings. As for the speed at which various countries have adopted energy efficient housing over the years this all boils down to energy costs in those countries. After all, residents of some European countries pay 6 or 7 times more for gas and electricity than we do here in the USA so it only makes sense that they would have long ago made the move towards more energy efficient housing. I believe that Germany current has the highest electric rates in the world so you can bet that they are highly focused on energy efficiency there. Of course, Canada has cheap energy and yet is still more energy efficient than us. But then again, their entire nation lives in a bitterly cold climate whereas the huge majority of the US population lives in a much more moderate climate. As for construction being “cheap” this is patently false. As someone who studied both Architecture and construction, I can tell you that houses in the USA are built to conform to very strict building codes and can withstand pretty much anything that nature is likely to throw at them. And other than increasing energy efficiency there would be no rational or logical reason to make them any stronger than they already are. As for the building material used, this always comes down to what is the most cost effective in that particular country. For example, in Southeast Asia all housed are made mostly from brick or concrete block as these materials are cheap. And very little wood is used anywhere because wood is very expensive there. By the way, I have heard a lot of not very bright people wonder why people who live in tornado prone area do not build their hoses from concrete (some do). Well, the obvious answer is that even if you live in one of these areas the odds are fairly slim that you will take a direct hit from a tornado in your lifetime. Then again there are some people who will spend a ton of money building some dooms day shelter even though the odds of them ever needing it are astronomical. But most people do not want to spend money to overbuild for something that will likely never happen.

[@Soff1859]

@@SLOBeachboy "Paper thin" is probably an exaggeration. But when i was a teenager i once saw a video of someone mentioning they accidentally punched a hole in their (interior) wall. And i thought they must be lying, because that can't be possible. Well turns out in america it is. But in most of europe, you couldnt make a real hole in most interior walls if you were punching it with a heavy hammer 10 times. As for "they are built to withstand anything nature is likely to throw at them" and "even in tornado prone areas you are unlikely to actually be hit by a tornado". Seriously? Stuff is only built to withstand things that has something like a 50% (or 10%?) chance of actually hitting the house? Our houses are, as mentioned before, infinetly stronger. Yet we have no tornadoes, no hurricanes, no earthquakes, no landslides, no avalanches, no wildfires and generally nothing else that could even damage an american house. But we still build like that. Not just due to energy efficiency, but also due to a general approach of building stuff to last. Maybe another difference is also, that we don't move houses as often. So if anybody here buys a home, they expect to live there until they die and probably also their children afterwards. The idea of a "starter home" and trading up every few years doesnt really exist here.

[@SLOBeachboy]

@@Soff1859 - Yes, you can certainly punch a hole in drywall as long as you hit an area between the studs. But this of course has absolutely no bearing whatsoever on the structural integrity of the building. The only purpose of the interior layer is to look good and to hold the insulation in the wall. When architects design a buildings, they do not choose the interior surfaces based on the possibility that someone might get pissed off and punch the walls. The important part is the exterior materials, and it would be hard to get through that even with a sledgehammer. By the way you can also easily punch a hole in any of the windows in your house only those holes will go all the way through to the outside of the house. So, are you saying that because of this we should start making all houses with expensive bulletproof glass? In any case, the interiors used to be lath and plaster in the USA but by the 60’s it was all 3/8 inch drywall (sheet rock) and given the choice I would probably choose drywall over lath and plaster. Although personally I prefer externally insulated poured concrete walls myself, but most people prefer a nice clean looking drywall interior finish. Of course, in the last decade or so textured finishes have become popular (as well as satin paint rather than flat) which makes the drywall look more like the old plaster walls. Anyway, as someone who not only studied architecture but who also has the mind of an engineer and can see potential problems and weak points in a structure, I see absolutely no shortcomings in US building codes whatsoever. In other words, if I were building a new conventional house for myself and could do anything I wanted I would not change the construction techniques or materials. And I am someone who is fanatical about building things right. Of course, as I said before I’m partial concrete but that is due to its appearance and because I need the thermal mass for a passive solar house. I would never however be even remotely worried about the structural integrity or longevity of a conventionally framed house here. Speaking of which you said that your houses are built stronger, but you did not say how you determined this. The only way to determine this would be to have sample houses built using both building techniques at a test facility with giant machines which apply various stresses to the structure until they fail and then the engineers would investigate the failure points. Of course, I could probably look at the construction myself and tell you whether it's very soundly built, poorly built, or unnecessarily overbuilt. By the way the term “starter home” did not come about because houses “wear out” over time or because people change houses like a game of musical chairs. Its because families expand and grow over times and so they eventually need a bigger house. People usually also by a starter car as teenagers and then get a nicer car when they get older. People also tend to make more money as they get older and therefore can afford a nicer a bigger house. But there are also plenty of people who stay in the same house for many generations. But because of all these home renovation TV shows people have bought into this myth that Americans are constantly changing houses. The truth is the most common reason to change houses is when one has to move to a new city for a job. Furthermore, houses do not wear out or fall apart over the time, they simply start to look old and used, much like an old car does. And just as with a car you can try to fix it up to look nice again or you can just buy a new car. And with both houses and cars some people keep them looking nice and other people don’t take care of them and they eventually look like crap. It's extremely rare however for a house built to US building codes to suffer from any kind of structural integrity issues even after 100 years. The only houses I have seen with these kinds of issues were not legally built to code. Incidentally, in San Luis Obispo we have an area near downtown that is zoned for historical preservation so you cannot tear down any of those houses to build new ones. Some of these houses are well over 100 years old and yet they are all in pristine condition and are very structurally sound. The only reason houses eventually become run down looking and in a state of disrepair in some cities is because the more affluent people eventually move to newer neighborhoods and then poor people end up taking over the old neighborhoods and these people let their homes get very run down. And it's the same story all over the world.

[@feilox]

@@SLOBeachboy 2x4 but those are plywood walls, not real solid walls, and no R value over 20 on each wall so they are like not even sound or airproof. Look up balloon framing. It's a joke when a double or triple pane (gas filled) window is very effiecient, but the walls are paper then with probably no (R10+ pink stuff insultation in the walls) what's the point of these windows if the walls are just 2 plywood and a plastic sheet called tyvek holding the weather from coming in?

[@jonhodge6984]

I lived in Europe for 36 years: UK Germany & the Netherlands. I watched my German neighbors build a house from scratch, thinking they were building a bomb shelter. I toured several passive houses in the early 2000’s and was impressed to learn they could be maintained for dollars a month while providing a much healthier standard of living due to the constant supply of fresh air. Europeans wonder at the US building codes as they watch our homes continuously get burned or blown down. I’ve always explained that we did not learn the lesson of the second little pig: don’t built your house out of sticks.

[@kirgan1000]

One more thing about maintenance, I her about how in US they speak about refurbish the roof or rebuild the roof. Then Scandinavinan roof tiles lasts forever.

[@redee8534]

I always thought americans build paper thin homes because the get blown away regardless. At least in tornado alley that is.

[@aidenhall8593]

Or the second world war

[@patrikjakobsen2142]

@@kirgan1000 As a Dane i can confirm. The only reason we replace the roof is if we want new roof tiles, not because we need it. Or there been a storm and a few blew off that needs to be replaced. Can be dangerous to walk the street doing a storm. Still remember one time i walked home from school and had to dodge or i would have gotten a roof tile in the face.

[@kevinshort3943]

Occasionally a roof will need replacing here, but it's down to poor maintenance, and the house would be old (coming up to, or well over 100 years). Most roof replacements are down to loft conversions with dormas.

[@Big_Computer]

I work as an electrician in Switzerland and here I am used to walls, floors of houses and buildings to be made with 30cm (12inches) thick concrete, then everything waterproofed with thick tar based sheets on the outside surfaces of the concrete, then all exterior walls (facades) are insulated with very thick (around 15 inches) either fiberglass, rockwool, xps or polystyrene foam. Then on top of all the tick concrete floors, we put one layer of polystyrene foam(not as thick), this is here we put the heated floor tubing, and then one more concrete layer of top of that, so all floors are thermally and acoustically insulated from each other. So you get exterior walls that are 20 to 30 inches thick (concrete + insulation). Oh and the non bearing interior walls are either bricks (yes for real) or double layer drywall with steel framing. In most cases the only wood you see in construction are the doors or the floor paneling at the very end. The electricity part, every wires are in special tubing we attach with steel rebar before the concrete is put in, so we have tubes and electrical "boxes" everywhere IN the concrete floor and walls , and we pull the wires when concrete is done. So we have to place every tubes and boxes precisely before the concrete is put it because we cant change it later. If there is a box for an outlet "here", well its embedded in the concrete so it better be the right place. this way if there is a fire from a wire, no big deal its in the concrete. And it's 1 wire = 1 tube in most cases. So there are miles and miles of tubes in the concrete joining a bunch of electrical boxes, lamp boxes, switches, etc. So yes with my experience, seeing house construction in the US is very... weird.

[@diogodenczuk2192]

30cm concrete walls is way worse than the walls we have in the US, which are made of wood and drywall, especially for electricity, which is very easy to access, update, etc, no need of embed tubes in concrete that have to be exactly in the right place…

[@Olivia-W]

@@diogodenczuk2192 It's a lot more durable, and it also does wonders for not hearing someone crap on the other side of the house.

[@Jagggggg88]

@@diogodenczuk2192 yeah but in the usa you can walk through the walls 😂

[@Jagggggg88]

Thx to share this info, i’m an elektricien myself in Belgium, and have a friend who is building a new home in swiss with poured concrete inner walls. And i was wondering how you do the wiring. In Belgium walls are made out of bricks and we just cut sleeves.

[@blueoval250]

Sounds extremely expensive, I’d never recoup the money spent on that.

[@mcfrosty0604]

I would love more energy efficient homes. I would also love to be able to afford them. I can't even afford the cheaply built ones in the current real estate market.

[@robinbennett5994]

The crazy thing is that they don't cost all that much more to build.

[@solosailorsv8065]

if you were ALLOWED, you could build an Adobe or similar DIY efficient home on a small lot of land, but all suburban areas in America prohibit such basic freedoms by "Building Codes"

[@foxvulpes8245]

How much more do they cost?

[@FLPhotoCatcher]

@@solosailorsv8065 Yeah, building codes are simultaneously too strict and too lax. I want to build a tiny home, but building codes make even that too difficult and expensive. The building codes need to be simplified and more friendly toward tiny homes.

[@dominikvonlavante6113]

@@foxvulpes8245 5-10% in construction costs, which are really a subset of total home prices.

[@TrotFoxGreyfoot]

This summer my family moved from the DFW, TX area to just west of Helsinki, Finland. We were lucky enough to get into a one-year old apartment and, I have to say, it really is built so much better than our 2014 house in Texas was.

[@Arkansya]

when you live in an area where sea freezes in winter you learn some stuff about insulating

[@Here4TheHeckOfIt]

I believe you. The quality of some of these new builds is substandard. I wonder if they'll last past 25 years. Developers and workers used to have pride and a sense of craftsmanship in their work. I hope that attitude returns again someday.

[@TrotFoxGreyfoot]

At this point we've had several nights of freezing weather and the interior of the apartment hasn't really fallen more than a couple degrees C. No frozen saltwater yet but there was a lot of frost on the ground this morning. ;D @@Arkansya

[@sparksmcgee6641]

Which means nothing. Go get the same quality in Texas, I know it's there. What are you paying per sf now versus Texas? Sound like you're the problem. We build what customers want.

[@sparksmcgee6641]

​@@Here4TheHeckOfItquality isn't relevant to his comment but code has increased energy efficiency the last 25 years. The last iteration is close of exceeds European standards. Keep in mind European countries copied our environmental laws, often including spelling errors. They aren't that special.

[@rosstret]

Great video Matt. Some additional comments to think about: 1/ Americans don’t live in their homes long. On average Americans move every ~7 years, where Europeans live in their homes much longer. Often generational homes. So operational cost is not considered and home improvement projects often don’t pencil out in < 7 years. 2/ The US surprisingly still has a lot of open land, and is not as densely populated as Europe. So it’s often easier and less expensive to move slightly further outside the city and build new. 3/ The skill level for builders and the skilled trades I would argue is better in Europe than the US. The trades are viewed as second class in the states, but not the case in Europe. For example, in Germany, many technicians have the equivalent of an engineering degree. This is changing, but we are still behind. 4/ The growth of solar and better performing buildings is directly related to the cost of energy. Some areas of the US pay more than $0.30/kWh for electricity, but other areas pay $0.05/kWh or less. This is a 6X change in energy cost for the same house in the same climate, meaning that states with the highest utility costs will see the most energy upgrades!

[@afs3294]

As mortgage rates in the US approach the range of 7-8% for the foreseeable future, it's likely US homeowners will stay put for longer than they used to, especially for many homeowners who have fixed mortgages at or under 4%. This might lead to renewed interest in operational costs and higher expectations from homebuilders.

[@austinradtke2896]

I can attest to that. I was fortunate to get a 3.4% apr. on my mortgage and intend on living in it for as long as I can. I'm constantly thinking about ways to make my home more energy efficient. I'd like to add solar and a hybrid heat pump HVAC system in the near future.

[@sachadee.6104]

valid remarks, but the 1st. Even if one moves every 7 year, you still will be living in SOME house, somewhere and therefor all houses should be better built.

[@panthersnbraves]

I wanted to add a fifth point. Relatively mild climates for much of the country. I live in a mixed zone, so keeping the house warm and cool is pretty simple most of the year.

[@Morpheus-pt3wq]

First point is kinda understandable, since many Americans live in areas with tornadoes/earthquakes happen. Although, with a house properly built, there is high possibility, it would survive some tornado activity, which would otherwise move them with the house.

[@juha-mattiratinen2169]

Great to see someone making this thing to get some air! I have been watching videos from builders at states making houses and as an carpenter from Finland, have been questioning myself how your houses can be warm enough at the winter? I understood that in some areas at states must be same kinda climate as it is here, like normal winter day could be -20°C and nights can easily be -30°C , sometimes -40°C. Typically our houses have +/- 30cm insulation on walls, with all these insulations we the wall itself can be 40cm thick. A lot depends what's the structure, our doors are insulated as well, some "thermo" doors are up to 10cm thick, basic outside doors are 5-7cm. Windows are standard triple glazed, and nowadays there are also 4-glazed "thermo" windows. All windows and doors have minimum of 2 layer sealants, some have 3. Also there is up to 50cm insulation layer at the top of the house, at the addict, 30-40cm layer of insulation at below the floor, additional to this there may be some +20cm insulation below the house itself inside the gravel bed to keep all the pipes from freezing. Greetings from Finland 💪😎

[@craftymulligar]

40 cm almost 16 inches.

[@augustsart5374]

Houses in the US are usually built differently depending on where u are at in the country houses built in the far north are much better t with standing colder temperatures where as houses in the South are designed to keep people cool

[@aaaaaaaaaaaaa373]

The US is wildly geographically diverse, so most of the relevant regulations are at the state level rather than nationally. Northern midwest & northeast states have building codes closer to what you mention, but a lot of the southeast is hot swamp so a house that's too well-sealed becomes a breeding ground for mold.

[@kyle18934]

I think it would be difficult to make a national code for insulation. for instance, my brother does not have a heater, and leaves the windows open year round. then on my side, somehow my well pump still managed to freeze during the winter with the heat going in its little insulated shack

[@PureMetalNS]

It's not just the amount of insulation either, but how it's put together. Here in the UK we have a focus on designing an insulated enclosed building envelope, meaning there are no cold-bridges where heat can be lost to the outside via conduction through a poorly insulating material. Not just the obvious places, but even the join between the floor slab and the external walls (which I find can be awkward to detail). Good architects will also consider using solar gain in winter to help warm homes, and mitigating it in summer to help prevent overheating.

[@George-rm7yw]

Im Australian (so have seen the dark side of non-existent energy efficiency) living in Germany (the light side). I would have to say that how energy efficient ones house is over here seems to be a national sport. One tip regarding the windows from Germany. Windows are generally triple glazed these days, but a lot rides on the fact that the windows are installed using the correct materials and methods so that they are not deemed useless by allowing in the cold through the joins with the wall. The government offers grants for new windows that are rated at a certain energy efficiency, however they have to be installed by a licensed contractor. Just went through this process.

[@maggotpudding]

And that's in Germany which is fairly warm country. In Finland 4 pane windows are standard for new projects I believe and I've never seen less than double glazing, even in oldest of houses. Rest of the structures follow similar thinking in their construction obvs.

[@judgeyzip53]

Same here mate, another one from down under living in the light. I also built my house here in Germany 5 years ago, and it's a completely different process than the paper mache houses they have in Oz and the US. Most of the time I was just watching and learning from my wife as I had no clue what was going on, even after owning a couple of houses in Oz. It does really help having all the latest tech (heat pumps etc), saving energy (so bottom line of time), but more importantly comfort throughout the year is so easy to manage. Nothing like strutting round your house when it's -20 outside in your pluggers and stubbies.

[@rodneymounsey4168]

Here in Australia we may as well live in tents, our building codes are piss poor!

[@DavidBiro]

I've made the change the other way around - from light to dark. I've been shocked to see the (lack of) building standards in Australia, even for new builds. Water dripping down on the single layer windows during whole winter, etc... On the other side, AC is on 100% for the whole summer - but "no, we don't need insulation, it doesn't get that cold here in Australia".

[@andypeters3011]

@@DavidBiro Sounds like they'd also be confused about how a thermos works: "It keeps the hot hot and the cold cold...how do it know?!?"

[@eugeneo1589]

I came to Canada a year ago from Ukraine, where I built a house months before the invasion. I used foam concrete blocks 20cm thick with an additional insulation of 10cm mineral wool outside. With all exterior and interior coverings, I got a 35cm thick walls, which are considered of moderate thickness. Of course, we don't have anything other than energy-efficient tilt-turn windows. Imagine my surprise when I saw that in the similar climate here in Ontario people build houses with 20-25cm thick walls with so ridiculously thin windows they need thick curtains...

[@gregh7457]

canada has energy resources and doesn't have to rely on dictators like poo-tin for their energy so less motivation to improve energy efficiency. rediculously thin windows? were they double pane?

[@PrimericanIdol]

You should move to Mexico. Houses are built much more solid there.

[@gna89]

@@PrimericanIdol funny

[@PrimericanIdol]

@@gna89 I'm serious. I lived there.

[@KuriusOranj]

I live in the southern part of Ontario. My house was probably built in the mid-50s, and when I bought it a few years back, there was absolutely no insulation in the exterior walls (built of 2x4s), and a dusting in the attic. I would guess that the ACH50 rating then would have been about 12. I've made improvements, but this place needs to be torn down.

[@jasonroberts5746]

In the US, it's all about profit margin. A lot of contractors barely meet building codes for safety let alone energy efficiency. A housing development went up near me a couple of years ago. I saw a house go from a concrete slab foundation to under roof in 2 days. There is no way that was a quality build.

[@Mark-vn7et]

It doesn’t need to be a quality build, that’s the whole problem with cheap energy. And as a European I can’t blame the US citizens, the biggest house for the smallest price. Contractors just fulfill a need. Whenever I see a US home their kitchen is bigger then my entire 1st floor. Even in a good energy efficient home that would give me a heart attack just considering my gas prices in the winter.

[@Mark-vn7et]

@@Riorozen well not quitte, our government has been privatizing company’s like public transport, medical insurance, utilities, postal and much more for the past 20-25 years. Company’s you can’t live without and everything has gotten really expensive. Every year it’s a couple of % here and there but it adds up really quickly.

[@kliajesal4592]

It's not always about the contractors, often times homes are bought up by people, renovated for bottom dollar, and re-sold at a ludicrous markup. But construction, like most things, is a matter of you get what you pay for. You pay the least, you get the least. A contractor can only do as much as the client will allow. If the contractor were actually allowed to do it right (which any contractor worth his salt is chomping at the bit to do) the price would balloon to levels that the person paying for the renovation would balk at.

[@zee-fr5kw]

now its about having big homes and because our energy is cheap. we wont go into debt with energy bills

[@Gadgetmawombo]

The houses aren't SOLD cheap tho lol.

[@TooBarFoo]

I think it's more than just the build cost. Generally, in Europe we live around old buildings and they are desirable so building are built with a long term view. We expect them to stand for 100's of years. my home is 130 years old, but fully updated to a high energy rating. It will stand for another 200 years I expect. In a lot of the US, homes are built quick and cheap and expected to last a couple of decades before being pulled down and replaced. Few Americans desire to live in period properties and see a 30 year old building as old and undesirable. It's the chicken and egg story. Build cheap and no one wants old buildings, no one wants old building so may as well build cheap.

[@BananaBlooD9517]

The only houses that don't last a century are those destroyed by tornado, wild fire or were abandoned or were bought only to build bigger/more dense. Also North America has a faster growing population than Europe. Canada's population increased by more than 300% & the USA by more than 200% since 1950. France, the UK & Germany didn't even increase their population by 50% since then... We have to build way more homes than you do in Europe & housing is already quite high in many places.

[@Daniel-qr4cs]

It's the same In Canada, I would never buy a new home here. Unless I built it myself.

[@TrashySteve]

I’m a home inspector in Phoenix and I’ve definitely noticed that builders are super focused on the return on investment portion of the issue more than any other.

[@Isarddubois]

Makes sens, doesn't it? Energy prices in Europa are often much higher, that's why there's a difference I suppose.

[@kaseyc5078]

Yes, by definition of a business vs , for example, a non-profit

[@Tamales21]

FIRE PROOF. HURRICANE PROOF. STAYS COOL IN THE SUMMER. WARM IN THE WINTER. RATS AND BUGS CANNOT LIVE IN THE WALLS. BULLETPROOF. LAST FOR CENTURIES. Stop building any other kind of house. COMPRESSED. EARTH. BLOCKS.

[@robinbennett5994]

When margins are thin, a small change in the total cost means a big change in the profit. OTOH codes affect all builders equally, so shouldn't make any difference to profits.

[@baxtronx5972]

Stayed in a local hotel in AZ once. The walls, I swear, were 2x3 and the windows were single pane even though the age of the building didn't look that old.

[@militanz]

Northern Italy. I built myself an energy efficient home in 2012, back then having it built by one of the few wise companies was quite expensive, like 30% above market. I managed to build one like yours with 210k euros for a two-story 140sqm villa in a rural area. Since then I've been saving a lot in electricity and gas bills, and I have comfort like no one else in the area. Now the market has changed, and energy efficient houses are becoming more common, but still not to my house point.

[@Matt-yg8ub]

That’s a 340k house (in 2012 dollars)…454k in todays money and let’s be honest, a 1500 square foot home for 454k is considered very overpriced in the US. It’s roughly 150k more than a comparable home here in the Midwest. Most banks won’t float a loan on a Property that overvalued.

[@faultier1158]

@@Matt-yg8ub I don't think you can build *any* house for that cost in Germany these days.😅 Modern-ish single family houses in the Hamburg region cost 700k€ or more. It partly comes from how much more expensive the land itself is.

[@LucasFernandez-fk8se]

@@faultier1158but the stupid building standards can’t be helping the matter. Just admit the US is right. Building a large house out of plastic and woodchips for 200k (including land and builder profit) is better than building a small net 0 house for 700k

[@Matt-yg8ub]

@@faultier1158 Which is the Apples and Oranges comparison between the US and Europe. The average person can afford a house in the US…. It’s far less attainable in Europe. For the price of a 1,500 sqft “efficient” European townhome, you can own a 3,000 sqft single family house in the United States with a private yard for your kids…. AND pay the utilities for decades with money left over.

[@Matt-yg8ub]

@@LucasFernandez-fk8se In most cases yes. It would be nice to build more energy efficient homes… but the cost is too great. The trade off in quality of life just isn’t there. You can buy a 3,000 square foot house in the US, live like a king and pay more in utility costs, or you can buy a tiny townhome in Europe and spend VASTLY more to save on utility costs . The break even point is decades out. You’d have to literally leave the windows open all winter and the thermostat set on max for approximately 30 years to approach the price difference. The European standards aren’t worth it in the US because the energy prices are so much lower.

[@carpandrei7493]

One thing I love about my windows is that besides open and tilt, they have a third opening mode, were you tilt the window only by a few degrees, creating an opening about 1...2 cm (roughly half an inch up to an inch) at the upper side of the frame that allows for air circulation with less heat loss than when fully tilted.

[@marybee1594]

Like every window in Europe, it's not some wonder, better thing about european windows is that you can live near road, and not hearing trafic, if We shut window down, there is no breeze to feel, double glass with vacuum inside, soundproof and keeps heat inside, or cool air in the summer.

[@MrSolvalou]

That is not a good way to ventilate your house. It's best to just fully open the windows for a few minutes on opposing sides of the house to create a draft thus quickly pulling in fresh outdoor air. Just do that a few times a day. Keeping a window slightly open would be akin to keeping your fridge slightly ajar.

[@TerjeMathisen]

Our two kids just built their first homes here in Norway so now I know more about our building codes than I used to: Our standard requirement for air leakage (the ACH50 measurement) is 0.6 for all new houses, i.e. the same as your Passive House rule. Similarly, our U value requirement is 0.8 for the windows and all the walls require a combination of 20 cm mineral wool (or equivalent), a diffusion barrier and then 5 cm of dense (ultra-insulating) foam board. A balanced ventilation system that also works as a heat exchanger has also been part of the minimum requirements since 2012 (i.e. the Tek-12 standard revision, later updated and made even more stringent in 2017.)

[@lucasthijssen9844]

I think you missed the full concept behind a passive house. It is not only a matter of insulating the building from the cold weather but also to build having in mind that such house has to protect from the hot weather as well. It is important to talk about the R value but also about the phase shift of your roof as well as its damping factor (I don't know the English term). Remember that all building envelopes, when well insulated, protect from cold. Not all envelopes protect from hot weather though! Passive house is also about not having thermal bridges, using renewable energy, heart recovery, maximising heat gain by a good orientation, automatic controls, and of course, last but not least, a valid certification.

[@rogerwilco2]

Indeed.

[@tlangdon12]

The full concept of Passive Houses is that the home is heated and cooled passively, i.e. without any mechanical or electrical assistance and without consuming any fuels. So cooling is obtained by having windows that can be opened, fresh air supplies that enter the home through a long run of pipe underground (so are tempered), and by shading windows and fitting "E" glass to avoid the structure absorbing too much heat in the summer. Passive heating is acheived by the triple glazed windows that don't allow out heat that the "E" glass has allowed in, having thermal mass to retain heat, and air sealing so that warm air doesn't leak out of the house. Some of the biggest savings to be had are available for very low cost if you take the truely passive approah. But for most climate zones, some active heating is necessary and comfort can be increased with active ventilation.

[@kaupaxup]

This makes me think so much of our last apartment in Colorado before leaving. It was a nice place overall, but even in the relatively mild Colorado winter, our heat pump ran upwards of 20 hrs out of every day. It wasn't that we had drafts everywhere, it's that there was absolutely no insulation - anywhere. Nothing but the wood and siding. Every year they'd be sending out reminders all winter to leave the taps running with a slow drip so that the water wouldn't freeze on cold nights. The thought of insulating walls and pipes instead of replacing and cleaning up after a burst? They just looked at me funny on the suggestion, like they'd never even heard such a thing was possible, and said that it "didn't seem practical". We spent more on energy heating that small apartment than my parents did heating a detached home with a furnace built in the 1970s in the dead of Saskatchewan's winters.

[@RayTheMickey]

That is beacuase heat pumps are ot as effecient at lower temperatures.

[@zweigackroyd7301]

@@RayTheMickey You may have missed the point that the winters are relatively mild.

[@Matt-yg8ub]

@@zweigackroyd7301You missed the point that heat pumps aren’t very effective in Colorado in general.

[@zweigackroyd7301]

@@Matt-yg8ub Can it be said I've missed something that isn't true? You can easily look this up. I am sure you'll find articles that say they don't work, but you can also find articles telling you the earth is flat. Look at reliable sources and a number of them. Also, maybe you hadn't noticed that there are several climate zones in the 270,000 km2 of the state.

[@sparksmcgee6641]

Europe is even worse. They try to brag now but they didn't even think of insulation till the 80's. I've been in building all over europe.

[@macioluko9484]

One reason is limited competition. In Europe the competition for everything from windows to faucets is fierce. Another reason is a lack of community associations in other parts of the world. In the US and Canada developers have way too much of a say in how little they offer to the client. Developers basically run municipalities. In other parts of the world they don’t. Thank you for a great video!

[@kevintewey1157]

Oh, miserable Monopoly capitalism

[@kevintewey1157]

By the way try the New York Times venison stew recipe

[@carholic-sz3qv]

You forgot the most important part which is zoning! In Europe houses and utilities like supermarkets, hospitals..... are all built closer to each other which eliminates the needs of an extensive infrastructure to be built and maintained!

[@carholic-sz3qv]

Just imagine the amount of oil needed to pave all those hundreds thousands of roads! The amount of oil needed to build a gigantic grid and connect everyone! Same with sewages..... the gigantic parking lots and much more! A gigantic waste of ressources.

[@DavidHalko]

@@carholic-sz3qv- “oil… pave roads” Yep. Liberals mismanaged US cities, turned them into concentration camps, where people are discouraged from living in them: refuse to enforce law, make it illegal to protect one’s self, implement bad schools, don’t zone family friendly housing (just studio housing), put planned parenthood on corners to encourage people kill their own offspring, don’t zone proper food purchasing stores, discourage personal transportation options so those who are enticed to live there are trapped, and only the rich can get out alive. My mother & father grew up in an American City, they made it out alive, my father being former US military had an intuition about security, they got out when they could, and my family only goes back in via long asphalt highways… we live in a county where we can better guarantee our own personal security, and those laws which protect people who enforce their own personal security makes all the difference in creating a safer environment for all. Liberals in the US want labor in the cities, don’t want families, so they outsource the family creating to the rural environments, to collect raw humanity for their cities where wealthy single people live for awhile in relative security, the rest do not, and many are trapped.

[@stanleytolle416]

As someone living in a van because of the cost of housing I think getting the cost of housing down is the biggest issue right now. Yes energy efficiency is important but not being able to afford a heatpump is also important.

[@mr.doctorcaptain1124]

That’s what gets left out of this. If we cared about energy efficiency we would go nuclear. That should be our focus, not increasing insulation.

[@jasono2139]

I recently replaced my gas furnace... I created a spreadsheet to compare all the heatpumps and gas furnaces by the approximate amount of heating needed and the monthly average temperature... Since there are currently no gas-powered heatpumps, the heat pumps actually saved ZERO $ simply because of the immense amount of power it would need to heat the home in the winter (when it was least efficient). There's a reason why almost nobody uses heat pumps in the northern US.

[@user-nn9mg3sw9j]

Agreed. This video is for people with an engineering-level interest in building design, but the last thing we need in America is increased cost due to higher efficiency code requirements. We are in a housing crisis, and that needs to be rectified first. And also thank god building codes are state decided not nationally decided. That’s the difference between a house in Texas vs California. My house in Texas would cost easily $750k in California.

[@malloc7108]

Looking at homes in the last year has made me realize one thing: you pay for the land. The cost of construction is usually 20-30% of the cost of the house (much less in expensive areas, but I'm assuming you're not complaining about living in a van because you can't afford Pebble Beach or something.) even double the cost is an increase of 30%, which is a bit of a ridiculous mark-up (likely you'd see an increase in 5-10%, eventually offset by lower land values as people can only afford what they can afford anyway). hope you find a more permanent place to live.

[@jasono2139]

@malloc7108 ...and if the cost of construction is 20% to 30%... that means the other 70% would be materials and equipment. So a minor increase in building materials affects 70% of the overall cost... the plot of land where you decide to build that house has little effect on that cost. A $400k house is still $400k whether you build it in Malibu or next to a landfill in West Virginia. ...which is probably why I see nicer houses out in the middle of the country than in high $ residential areas in the suburbs... because people DON'T want to spend their home budget on the land.

[@pyramidsinegypt]

I think part of the problem shows in the surprise that a 1991 house is still in use today. By EU standards a 1991 house is very young. The house I purchased some 12 years ago was build in 1964 and although it got an insulation upgrade some 15 years ago it still stands strong. At almost 60 years old it is not generally considered old simply because it was built well using good building codes that allowed, even back then, for relatively simple modernisation, keeping it relevant even decades after it was built.

[@jaredkennedy6576]

The traditional lack of efficiency really does drive me nuts. My previous house was built in the early 80s, had double pane windows but they were aluminum. They conducted so much heat out that they would generate massive amounts of condensation and actually rotted the drywall at the bottom corners. That place was expensive to heat, and nearly impossible to air condition in the summer. That's my ex's problem now. I had started replacing the windows, starting with the one in the kitchen, which suddenly made that room bearable. Unfortunately she didn't like it, so the rest of the house was still awaiting her window opinion input two years later when I left.

[@solosailorsv8065]

Agreed. In sourthern California i see rows of dumb(inefficient) track houses with smart(modern) cars parked there. Its like looking at a time warp back to the 1950's from whence the building codes came. It looks SO stupid !!

[@PrograError]

@@solosailorsv8065 I'd say the cars are just more of a green-washing, if I didn't know it as a fact...

[@RobertMillerJustme]

The issue is windows no matter how energy efficient they lose that efficiency in years a study proved after 2 to 5 years all argon gas is gone, I suggest we outlaw all windows in future home to keep them energy efficient.

[@dipf7705]

@@RobertMillerJustme lol

[@benjamin_parry]

In New Zealand, old places have wooden windows that are single pane, so loads of drafts, then they adopted aluminium single pane glass windows. This fascination with aluminium windows has stuck. This plus the drastic step to move away from cold moldy housing has seen double glazing been taken up in a big way. But guess what, still with non-thermally broken aluminium frames. So new builds with new up to date building codes and double glazing are still getting loads of condensation. It's such a big problem, loads of people then just leave a windows a jar to allow for the windows to be less thermally different from outside temps and there fore less moisture. It's like the building code here has no understanding of the point of double glazing, and NZers are mostly un aware until they move into their brand new build and see it dripping wet inside on cold days. Ah well I guess in another 10 to 20 years they will make the change to European style windows. The only people doing this are those that are installing windows themselves. Developers are mass producing more subpar housing and calling it the best of standards. It is embarrassing. That and only just taking up insulating walls, and likely only the external ones. The only relatively standard insulation to date has been thin insulation under the floor and in onto of the ceiling. (Not even the roof trusses, cause who needs a nicely insulated roof space.) It is a joke and most people think the standards are great. This is with the biggest push for building new homes in over 30 years, and they are all going up, trash.

[@GLJosh]

Having "owned" a few homes one of the first things that I would do was add insulation to the attic (and plywood for added storage space) and wrap the pipes under the house. Over the course of time windows and doors would be updated as well. It takes a considerable amount of "want to" when it comes to updating/upgrading a home. As an American we have "gotten used" to "cheaper" commodities (energy, water, food) when compared to the rest of the world. Several generations have passed since the times you mentioned in the late 70s/early 80s, it is the American "normal". Can American do a better job with commodity efficiencies? Of course, but most don't "want to".

[@KainYusanagi]

Thing is I can't remember a time when Americans weren't complaining about prices of energy, food, or other utilities including water that weren't priced way higher than we pay for them, so I really don't get this "cheap energy" claim, either.

[@GLJosh]

@@KainYusanagi Gallon of gas (in USD) Europe approx. $7.60 in the US $3.88. Sure American "complain" that doesn't take any effort or change of behavior. If the price of gas doubled (and stayed there), America would become significantly more efficient with transportation. Kilowatts hours Europe is about 6% higher compared to the United States. Yes, those are very broad strokes Norway and Italy are vastly different as is Alaska and Illinois.

[@NoirMorter]

I've done the same thing, update what I could as I went. Makes a world of difference!

[@einarquay]

Canadian here. Good program sir, and I hope many folks find your podcast. I thought you’d find it interesting to know where PassiveHaus actually began as a tested concept. It was the Province of Saskatchewan’s research centre that first built and tested a net zero house in the early 1980’s. The man who led the charge was Harold Orr. After the provincial government shelved the research project, the German government obtained the research data and ran with more research and code development. I am an architect in my 70’s and practiced in Saskatchewan. Today I dabble in small energy efficient housing in eastern Ontario. Every one of my houses targets an ACH50 rate of 0.6. Walls are R32, roofs R70. Triple glazing. As much as possible I eliminate basements. I Keep up the good work.

[@pioneer7777777]

How much would say a 2000 SF house with 4BR, 2-3BA cost to build? Guessing in the $800k USD range? I feel like direct costs were not mentioned here in this video.

[@dreamingflurry2729]

What? Why no basement? Note: I am from Germany, so double and tripple glazed windows are the norm here (hell: My parents ripped out the windows in their old - it was built in the 30s! - house and the ones they had were already double glazed!)...as are basements and they are nice to have! Very cool in summer! Hell, I am debating trying to get a LAN-Connection to my apartment, because then I could stay in the basement in summer and take my laptop there, as it is quite hot up here (house built in the 60s, so it's a heat trap in summer!)

[@knpark2025]

One interesting thing I heard about architecture and civil engineering: of all the natural resources that do not exist in Korean peninsula, one of very few resources that actually exist in abundance is limestone. Cement and concrete are hard to haul over long distance, but an abundant limestone reserves within a landmass as small as Ireland means endless rows of high-rise concrete apartment buildings.

[@PrograError]

pretty sure that's not a reason, Malaysia is also relatively limestone heavy, they still have lots of landed properties. In fact several HOAs full of double storied semi-detach. IMO it's a lot more efficient to cattle nearly every one into the high rises, and also a danger in times of war which is a consideration I'm pretty sure the ROK government considered on top of the severely mountainous geography of the Korean P. . Can't really fight CQB without the urban and tight element...

[@xxwookey]

Just to be clear, 3G windows don't _have_ to be tilt+turn (you seemed to equate them here). You can have conventional (for the UK and the US) outward-opening casement windows that are 3G. T&T works well with EWI and MVHR and shutters which is why they are popular.

[@ecok]

3G passive house certified even available as Sash windows in the UK !

[@slovakjakpica]

The problem with 3G or any windows like this. They have lifespan till all gas escape from them and then you should replace it...

[@xxwookey]

@@slovakjakpica No - the lifespan depends on the seals, and how long they last depends mostly if they are kept out of the water, which depends on the frame design. The U-value is improved by the argon gas, but it's still pretty good even if that diffuses out. Fibreglass rather than aluminium spacers makes a massive difference, and so do the IR-reflective coatings on the inner surfaces. Once the seals go then water gets in and you can no longer see through the window - that's when they are usually replaced. And yes this is exactly the same for 2G and 3G units - 'any modern window'

[@slovakjakpica]

That is not true at all, gas escapes slowly over time, water will not get in suddenly. You can be sure that almost all 15+ years old windows have no gas inside, but you wont see any water there also@@xxwookey

[@89DerChristian]

@@slovakjakpica I have never heard of a window "expiring"... this is an absolute non-issue

[@rachelfish2506]

This just reminds me of the big snowstorm debacle that happened in Texas a while back - Texan homes weren't built to withstand any amount of cold so pipes were breaking, people were freezing in their own homes, and electricity infrastructure failed spectacularly. In an overall climate change like we are experiencing now we need to start building our homes to be able handle the unexpected.

[@themartinandersson]

I once met a Swedish company that built a new, innovative and well-insulated window. They were doing really well on the Swedish market, but just had to roll back their launch from the American market. Why? The CEO told me that the walls on the American houses were so thin they couldn't hold the weight of the windows 😂😂

[@Matt-yg8ub]

It’s certainly a consideration……add 20% to the cost of the windows and a combined 40% in materials and labor to the framing to accommodate it and the home is far outside the price point and the reach of the intended market.

[@Lacaras21]

Windows are attached to the frame being supported by the foundation..... how heavy were the windows that the walls couldn't support it? Heavier than the roof?

[@crusher0427]

I call BS here. 2 X 4 studs 16" on center can handle a second floor and a roof, but we're supposed to believe they couldn't handle windows? Come on...

[@themartinandersson]

@@strange-universe You could call it hearsay. But it was real talk from a real person. Unfortunately I didn't think about it myself and never asked any further questions. But again, since it was an actual event and I find it hard to believe that the CEO would stand there and lie to me, there has to have been a real problem nonetheless. Whatever it meant that "the walls couldn't handle the weight".

[@themartinandersson]

@@strange-universe Also, it doesn't surprise me. And that real, high-quality Scandinavian products couldn't be installed "long-term" on American houses shouldn't really be that surprising? I mean you walk up to any one of these beautiful white picketed fences and it bends over with the touch of a finger. It's all just fake and cheap materials. That is how Americans build.

[@the-real-iandavid]

One thing that has always struck me, when seeing images of hurricane damage, is just how fragile the buildings appear to be. I stress that this is only based on the images of the aftermath, which could be given a totally wrong impression, but it makes me wonder how a typical UK home's construction would stand up against that type of weather.

[@questcore636]

nothing would be left, UK builds are far more less stronger materials

[@ToolofSociety]

I imagine if Europe had hurricanes to worry about that the standards would be adjusted for that kind of experience. I also imagine it would be vastly better than the USA while also costing more. I've been through multiple hurricanes up to cat 4 on landfall. I've experienced 100+ mph straight line winds. I have also hidden in basements/tubs/ditches because a tornado was getting way too close. Fortunately I've never had a direct hit with a tornado. The first life experience that humbled me in regards to weather was when my town was hit by unexpected straight line winds due to a localized meteorological event. I still to this day vividly recall running from the front door of the house to the basement while everything was shaking violently. If you hear that train roar get the fck in cover. That was "only" 80 or so mph winds. An oldschool brick 1.5 story factory a couple blocks up wind lost part of it's wall with a good section of the roof landing in a wide spread of various yards. So you know what I hate about hurricanes? They like to spawn tornadoes that are very unpredictable. I can at least move to the high ground to get from the flooding. Speaking of, flooding generally accounts for the majority of the damage you're seeing when viewing the aftermath of a recent hurricane. Have to say though the clouds are wild if you live on the coast when a cat4 is coming at you. The day of the first hurricane was so surreal to witness. Walking out of the house at night while the eye is above you and not hearing a single animal/insect is kind of freaky.

[@OUTDOORS55]

They wouldn't 😂

[@stephenmcnamara8318]

You see the places with the most destruction - and those are freak occurrences - and it largely makes more sense not to build to withstand - but to seek shelter inland - allow the house to fall and rebuild. European Cinder Block construction would possibly do well against wind, but it does horribly against earthquakes - where would construction allows for absorbtion to a larger extent. things are tradeoffs - and the cost of building, and teardown, and renovations are all effected by codes an the like. Matt can build a house that exceeds code - anyone can. Code is a minimum standard. Making it more costly to build can mean very low home ownership rates (see Germany and Switzerland with the lowest in the developed world) - and/or homes that are much smaller than what people in america are used to living in - but similar to what Americans lived in in the 1950's (think 1500sqft not 2500-4000) It is tradeoffs and decisions - and perserving the ability to make those appropriately in a country so large and diverse in terms of climate is probably the more prudent thing to do. So - Matt can have a very efficient home that "does not suck" - while others can make other decisions that are right for them.

[@scasny]

If you are wondering google Czech tornado. Most of the homes are 40-60 years old. Brick or autoclaved aerated concrete blocks, with retrofitted windows usually with new roof and occasional added insulation. Except missing roofs and busted windows the core structure is intact. Most homes were livable in few days with minimal damage to the interior. The most damage homes took 1-2 months mostly waiting for the roof and new windows. Not sure but think gas or water was not damaged, only electricity witch was quick fix since vast majority of power lines are underground. By comparison flooding is way more damaging, not only it can disrupt infrastructure but the building static. And to add up it destroy all furniture inside + it takes several days or even months to dry thick walls that soak up water.

[@MsAjax409]

I've had such conversations with German colleagues over the years. It started when I asked one fellow why he rents rather than owns a home. He was an engineer well into his career, a point at which an American engineer would likely own his/her own home. He responded that the price of a home was well out of his ability to afford one. When I probed further into why that was, he explained how houses in Germany were built of masonry to last for centuries unlike American houses that are built of wood and cheap materials, and to standards much less strict vs those in Germany. I remember feeling sorry for my German associates not being able to own their own home until the middle years of their live.

[@josephfisher426]

Masonry should only cost 25-40% more. Not trivial, but not by itself an explanation for why people can't own things (also the US has plenty of old masonry housing that no one wants).

[@MsAjax409]

@@josephfisher426 25 to 40% more is a lot. That's why the vast majority of homes in the U.S. are stick-built with some brick or stone veneer on the front, and are still out of reach of many people.

[@josephfisher426]

@@MsAjax409 In the past it was common to exchange smaller size or less complexity for greater durability. Structures that are true masonry on the first floor were a common design for tract construction in the first half of the 20th century, and beyond that for individual projects. But they were economical as houses that would fit within the footprint of a 3 car garage. Or on slopes where a heavy basement retaining wall is already part of the price.

[@mysterioanonymous3206]

​​​@@josephfisher426 it's not just the masonry. It's everything from full basements, tight building envelopes with lots of insulation to much higher grade wood beams to higher quality roofing materials to more stringent requirements fir electrical, sewage... Even windows (triple glazed with vacuum layers) and kitchens (better slides, materials etc) are of significantly higher quality. I'm in Switzerland, it's the same here. A new, decent house costs at least 1.2mil in a marginal area, and in a large city you're talking astronomical, 3mil, 5mil, easy. A small apartment will be at least 700k outside the centres, within a larger city 1.5mil and up (NOT downtown). That's a small-ish 2 or 3 bedroom. I own now (through sheer luck), but my last rental was in a (much updated) 250yo building. Solid rock walls, about 2 feet thick, 3 stories plus large double floor attic compromising of solid thick wood beams.

[@tom4794]

Germany has a massive housing shortage and at least part of that is due to (unnecessarily?) strict construction codes. It's nice to have energy efficient homes, sure - but it's also nice to have housing, period. So there's a trade-off to be made here.

[@matta5348]

I’m building a house in the Hudson Valley of NY. With all the incentives now for high-efficiency mechanicals & solar, it’s almost cost-neutral to use these technologies vs conventional ones. The payback time is very short, < 5 years. The SIPs might be a bit more expensive, and I guess it’s harder to calculate the payback time for the extra insulation (though I’m sure Matt could drop some more acronyms and decimals and figure it!), but again, even if you don’t care about the environmental impact, it just makes financial sense.

[@MrPizzaman09]

I tried building with SIPS and the local government in Pennsylvania stands in the way of approving anything but a stick built house. It was going to be 2 years of red tape.

[@Robin-xe4yz]

@@MrPizzaman09 If they're too stupid to wrap their heads around SIPs you could always stick build with 2x6 cavity and do continuous exterior insulation like Zip-R and nailbase EPS roofing.

[@Silrielmavi]

My US house was built in the 1970s and still has the original windows. We've considered getting new, but it hasn't worked out yet. A year or two ago we were able to get free insulation added to various points in the house, including the attic. I was so grateful for that when our furnace broke during the coldest part of the winter, and we were able to stay around 50F with a couple electric heaters running during the day when outside was below freezing. We also have indoor shutters on most of the windows, which makes a big difference when we keep them closed. I love the idea of a passive house, and before we bought this house, I was seriously looking into Earthships. I'm now looking for ways to turn my current house to be more passive and energy efficient.

[@heyhoe168]

Well, home require ventilation for breathing AND for moisture removal, so full passive is borderline extreme conditions. But it is possible to make highly efficient housing.

[@alexbrown9079]

I was a HVAC Installer foreman for 6 year in California. The reason we use cheaper A/C units is due mainly due to price and installation time. Installing a standard (cheap) a/c system is broken down by cost of parts, labour, mark ups from both the company I worked for and the builder. A new (cheap) account system costs about $9000 just for parts. The company I worked for would charge ~$13000 for labour (prices change and vary per area and per year) putting the average cost at $22k in total to install all of the a/c system and other metal in your home (I'm a sheet metal journeyman, we install topouts, dryer vents, washer pans, kitchen vent hoods etc etc as well). To install an a/c system like yours generally would cost much more in parts and labour. I've installed units like yours before, they generally cost ~$16000-$18000 depending on manufacturer etc etc and your duct work is magnificent (or magnificently well hidden in all the insulation 😏) and will cost so much more in parts and labour to install and take much longer compared to flex duct (I'm assuming it's metal duct due to rigidity). Metal ducts takes longer to install since it has to be the perfect length to link up at every part across the home, more or less a custom build, if it isn't the perfect length you have to send it back to the shop and waste time getting a part made or finding a close enough replacement yourself (or using the bandsaw like I would 😂). You also have to hope that all of the trusses are placed properly in the home to accommodate the size and angles of your a/c unit. Not a problem in your custom home, but definitely one I've ran into many times building line homes. The high efficiency electric units are actually easier to install in the attic are require similar amounts of labour, but the cost of it is almost prohibitive and sometimes just getting the fucker up there is a nightmare (if the delivery guys cant do it as a team, leave it to the Installer. Assholes.) I have more things to note about your video essay, will come later due to lack of time.

[@sproglode]

Matt - in the UK, most homes are made of brick and stone. However, prior to the last 10 years or so, they are draughty, poorly insulated and cost a lot to heat. We live in a 35 year old 'authentic' welsh longhouse, and the so-called double glazing is basically useless. While some homes have solar panels and air source heat pumps, our climate still makes it very expensive to deploy air source heat pumps in winter thanks to the exorbitant cost of electricity. Your new home is amazing.

[@pikapomelo]

That's a bummer to hear. We live in a 100 year old brick building in Chicago and I may be wrong, but as I understand it, if we insulate between the brick and drywall, the bricks could freeze in the winter and cause damage. So... we have to pay to heat our exterior walls... We are ok to insulate the roof and we are able to use electric heating with our dual fuel heatpump and furnace most of the year. I hope we can figure out these issues for new construction, but not sure how limited we are for all the old stuff.

[@TCJones]

Not sure how cold it gets there compared to the uk, but most brick homes in the uk have been fitted with cavity wall insulation, which is just small bits of insulation pumped into the space between the two brick walls. Done all the time here.

[@markot4616]

@@pikapomelo The insulation needs to be put on the outside of brick or concrete walls,, otherwise you would run into problems with the moisture accumulating inside the structure. If you are not allowed to put anything on the outer side of the facade, for code reasons or whatever, you'll get more results in replacing the windows, or even making sure that they get insulated properly (the seams that connect the windows to the facade wall - usually with some sort of expanding foam).

[@jordibarguno]

I live in Spain and I always find it amusing how misinformed Americans are about European Countries. Oftentimes I wonder where they get their information. Most construction in Spain is very old and very poorly insulated and definitely not energy efficient.

[@pikapomelo]

Today I learned about cavity wall brick buildings. Thanks! I'm pretty sure ours is solid brick. Good to know about the windows. We do have double pane at least. And to know insulating outside the structure is an option. This is a 6 unit condo and I doubt the other units want to change the facade. It also goes right up against the sidewalk. I guess there are so many different ways these things are built.

[@tuxedojunction9422]

I was introduced to tilt-and-turn windows as an exchange student in Germany; my dorm room had one. I loved it.

[@karlschauff7989]

Yeah they are less common in the US since they cost 2-3 times more.

[@danmallery9142]

I am a design professional in the Phoenix area. We have over 20 municipalities that make up the metro area. All of them have adopted different versions of the ICC codes and almost all of them have local addendums. The idea that an entire country would have a set of codes to follow is a dream that I can barely comprehend. Fundamentally, they are all fairly close, so it is not the end of the world, but to be able to streamline boiler plate general notes and requirements would be awesome.

[@rogerwilco2]

I really don't understand why the USA does not have a lot more nation wide regulation and standardization. It is because then a lot of local politicians would lose their grifts? It's not just building codes. All of the USA is a bewildering patchwork. For example: how do you recognize a police officer? What makes a real one distinct from an impostor? And don't get me started on signage. Why do so many signs have walls of minute text instead of a clear symbol or two?

[@Winterascent]

The state or at least Maricopa county and maybe Pinal county could take up that role, if the builders associations pressured them to do it. Especially if they smartly push for higher levels of energy efficiency to help consumers want standardized rules.

[@geley5285]

In the US, it is significantly harder for the federal government to apply nationwide policies due to the autonomy and power of state governments. For local police, if they have a radio, a gun, taser, and a badge, and are wearing a police uniform, it is most likely a real cop. State police are usually found on the interstate highways, and have the big hats. I'm not very familiar with signage regulations, but it would probably depend on what kind of signage you mean.

[@grondhero]

@@rogerwilco2 Interesting you would state, "I really don't understand why the USA does not have a lot more nation wide regulation and standardization," and then ask, "Why do so many signs have walls of minute text instead of a clear symbol or two?" Regulations. Regulations. Regulations. The US over-regulates nearly everything, making it worse. There was a sports stadium that was almost shut down on opening day because the mirrors in one of the restrooms were not the proper height above the sinks. As for signage, I have read where the sign maker make a common sense sign, but the government inspector said it 'wasn't clear/explicit enough' so the sign maker had to add extra warning that not only would you die, but it would be painful. Then the sign was approved. If you want to ruin an industry in the US, get the government to regulate it and then "improve" on the regulations over and over again until it is just stupid.

[@Zraknul]

​@@rogerwilco2 Canada actually had someone go on a killing spree impersonating our federal police, that included a car. Some of his victims were murdered by pulling them over for a traffic stop and shooting them. 2020 Nova Scotia attacks.

[@Gadgetmawombo]

My mom recently built a house in Mexico with like 80k. Its a bomb shelter, thick concrete walls, solid metal doors etc. Our US house feels like its made of paper in comparison.

[@petervanderwaart1138]

My house was built in 1958. The walls have two kinds of insulation: skimpy and none. An architect friend attended a program about building passive homes. It took most of his time for about 3 months.

[@jamestucker8088]

When I bought my house 15 years ago the only insulation it had was the asbestos in the popcorn ceiling.

[@steven_dekok]

Our friends built a 3 story home in Romania and they have no need to air conditioning. Even on the hot days, the air flow and design of the home keeps it cool. The walls are about 18 inches thick on the outside AND inside too.

[@DAILG_2024]

I'm trying to retrofit my house in Canada but have found it quite expensive and wish we had higher building standards when my house was built 20 years ago. I am making headway but will probably have to invest 100K to get near 0 energy score. Currently at 37 down from 133 but still pushing. I appreciate all your information ... very valuable on new ways forward to energy efficiency in my home.

[@petermcateer1354]

I hear that. I also live in Canada, and my house was built in the 1920s.

[@HWY66]

My home was built in 1947. We need government help with insulation and efficient window replacement....return our tax dollars where we need them.

[@w8stral]

Of course it is expensive and why it was not done to begin with. Still got you to buy it eh? Of course several things which I am sure you already did can easily and cheaply increase energy efficiency such as sealing wall/siding joints, attic etc.

[@ckm-mkc]

The Build Show showed a really cool tech that can be used to seal up cracks upto 1/2" in the whole house by overpressurizing the building and blowing in finely atomized caulking. It was very cool and would work wonders on older buildings....

[@davideyres955]

I live in the uk and I would have loved it if our building control inspectors actually did their job and inspected houses while they were being built. When renovating my bathroom I pulled the plater off the walls and found the gap between the outside and inside wall was almost non existent so my insulation between the walls is almost useless. The walls at the bottom of the house have a nice gap as I noted when I had new windows out in. Also it would have been nice if the builders owned a plumb line and a few squares so they could know what a right angle is.

[@Baxtexx]

Live in sweden. Since we have a cold climate, most houses have good isolation 2-3 pane windows, heat pumps are everywhere. Sure some older homes are worse but can usually be retrofitted with air heatpump and drastically decrease electricity needs.

[@stellarose03]

I work as an electrician here in Sweden too. I constantly get shorts and videos in my recommended about electrical stuff, and it's like the US is stuck 30 years in the past constantly.

[@BananaBlooD9517]

If we didn't have decent to good insulation we'd freeze to death in winter & be cooked alive in summer.

[@Jack63141]

It's all about return on investment (ROI) vs. houses "sucking". Our natural gas costs are $2-$3/MMBtu vs about $10/MMBtu in Europe pre Ukrainian war and now $20 post war -- even higher pricing in the winter. So if our energy was 10X more expensive, it would justify the additional insulation and sealing costs. Also, I live in a 70+ year old house and my total energy bills (nat gas + electric) is about $3000 annually for a 2200 square foot house. So I really can't comprehend how some organization is saying that you will "save" $5900 annually (11:43) on what looks to be a similar sized house as mine.

[@wkornf]

this is absolutely right. my total utility bill for a year for a similar sized home is less than $3,000. clearly you could spend money on efficiency or invest money and resources and getting fuel cheaper. we can do both The return on investment would take decades.

[@mediocreman2]

I don't think it's annually but not sure how long he's referencing. Maybe over the mortgage or expected life of the home? My 1,800 sq foot home that is 65 years old only costs me $5-600 per year in energy costs. If I was to remodel with his techniques, the home wouldn't pay for the work for 100 years.

[@alexkrokhov9652]

Its Massachussets guys. Been living there. Costs of utilities there just insane, like biggest in US even for Cali. Electricity in some town like 40c. Now you compare 13c in your state and 40c in his.

[@jasono2139]

​@@alexkrokhov9652you gotta love people talking about "cost savings" while using their highly inflated costs to everyone as a whole. I looked into solar panels for my house a while ago... because my electricity is fairly cheap (and we don't get lots of sun), even the cheapest solar panels would require 30 years to breakeven.

[@wkornf]

@@alexkrokhov9652 sounds like the most efficient thing to do is not build in a place where electricity is so expensive.

[@mum2jka]

Over 25 years ago, when we lived in the UK, we had new windows fitted to our 1960s home and all the windows were tilt-and-turn triple glazed. As you can imagine, it was a bit of a shock to move here and see how antiquated and inefficient the windows are. The energy bills were an even bigger shock.

[@Matt-yg8ub]

@@jscomino actually……most Americans can’t afford to triple the cost of their windows. Unless you’re independently wealthy, the bank is rarely going to float you a loan on a property that won’t appraise for what it costs to build. Putting lipstick on a pig raised the cost of the home but rarely results in a sales price to match.

[@e.458]

​@@jscominoYep, Americans are freely polluting the air with unnecessary CO2, only thinking about themselves today and no inclination to consider their own descendants. They can do that because big fossil fuel is still being subsidised like no-one has ever heard of climate change. No incentives to change their ways. There's a water crisis in many desert states and people still build private pools as if they lived near the great lakes. Denial is the overarching mentality there. Your idea of freedom is called cruel selfishness everywhere else. The land of the me, me, me.

[@Eric-og8of]

@@jscomino Yes and now evry one become poor in my country, Familys gona loos ther houses becose the have to insulate a home that can not be insulated ore the price of insulating is same price as the price of the house. The gouvment become crazy.

[@sparksmcgee6641]

We have triple paned turn and tilt here, why didn't you buy them? You're the problem.

[@LambentIchor]

@@jscomino Yes. The country banning books and abortion has the freedom to choose. Delusional American has entered the chat.

One other thing I’ve noticed is that without stronger regulation it can be harder finding the right products on the local market. Few businesses will invest in a product that people won’t buy due to potentially increased price, personal knowledge or contractors who have learnt how to work with the product. Making the regulation stronger gives businesses a motivation to take the risk in the more efficient methods and products.

[@Savagekitten77]

Not to mention it might be harder to have contractors rip you off buy using less than great materials while gouging you for upscale stuff. They would have to account for their work as far as the inspectors were concerned.

[@iskabin]

It also makes construction more expensive and people who would be able to build their first home won't be anymore. We see this in the car industry today with safety and polution regulations, prices are too high for poor people to own their cars.

@@iskabin why the focus on building a home, when homes could be made to last longer?

[@iskabin]

@ I know, and I agree with you in that point. We always want the better home for the longest time we can afford. My point is, if you make building any home more expensive, you make it so people with lesser income cannot ever build one. Not everyone can build the best, more technological and efficient home that will last for generations, would be great if it were like this, but it simply isn't.

[@crusherven]

@I mean, if population continues to grow at all (and we better hope it does), then we'll have a constant need for new homes.

[@ianpeddle6818]

In the UK there are minimum standards and when you sell a house it has to come with it’s energy efficiency certificate which the seller has to pay to be undertaken and produced. Most houses here have very energy efficient windows and doors as is loft and wall insulation. However here most houses are built of brick.

[@dearyvettetn4489]

As a student of interior design we learned about passive homes. As an employee in residential and multi-family construction I’ve never ever seen or worked on any passive home designs. I’m looking forward to having opportunities to see and learn more about them as I travel outside the United States soon especially since I can’t afford, nor do I have the will to build such a home here.

[@sparksmcgee6641]

They cost more overseas. The passive house based on European designs suck. I can build a better one in the US easily. That's there reason we ignore PasivHaus in the US.

[@agn855]

@@sparksmcgee6641 - you can do everything better (not expected sanitär attitude from someone in the USofA), but hey, you don’t do it. Let’s start with healthcare (that everyone should be able to afford)… 3-2-1-GO!

[@jonwiesner9368]

Matt, in the process of building a home myself and I’ve been following your build closely. Lots of good stuff in here and I appreciate your honesty

[@UndecidedMF]

Thanks! Try to enjoy the journey of the build and not get too stressed out. I'm sure you're going to love it in the end.

[@grand04gt]

I have been watching Matt Risinger on youtube for a long time now and if your looking for some amazing products or tips to make your build better performing check out his page. There are tips you can do yourself or even if its to make sure the builder nails the details while its being built

[@ceguillend]

My guess would be that cost of housing is the main barrier. Even the most modest and inefficient houses cost a fortune and take a lifetime to pay. Most people can’t afford additional costs upfront and would rather pay increased cost of operations over the life of the house

[@i.k.8868]

No, modest houses do not cost a lifetime to pay. Even regular houses don't cost that much. 30 years at most. A tiny house starts from around 10000 euro as a kit and for 60000 you get a luxury tiny home completely furbished. Regular homes start around 120000 for prefab timber frame structures. That would take you about 15 years to pay off. Most people just have very specific demands that are unrealistic in the current housing market (like my single friend who is angry with the government because he can't buy a nice apartment by himself in the middle of the most popular city in the country, while only working 4 days a week and going on holiday 5 (!!!) times a year. This year he flew to Norway for a midweek, to the US for a weekend, went to France for two weeks, and went skiing twice).

[@ppetal1]

A few extra insulation boards would only cost three to four hundred dollars and would pay back in six months. The price of housing is hardly related to construction costs.

[@whermanntx]

@@i.k.8868 you aren't getting any kind of house for less than 200k in the U.S and that's just the bare bones.

[@spacecaptain9188]

A part of the problem is the huge percentage of rental units. Land lords are motivated by profits, and they can easily get away with energy inefficiencies, and simply leave the extra costs to the renter. For example, who needs insulation and green energy when all you need is a heat source that can keep temps above 65 F , and the cost of heat is paid for by someone else (renters, not land lords)? Here's another: Why would a landlord allow dishwashers (which use far less water than handwashing) when it involves buying an extra appliance, and a small potential for water damage? Landlords benefit from just making the renter do them by hand, at the expense of energy efficiency, and the renter's time.

[@adamkeifenheim1727]

Just visited my friends in Colorado with a new suburban house built in the last two years. I am an energy auditor as a side business and yet I've never seen such leaky windows. There was maybe a 5 mph wind outside and it howled through the huge gaps around the sides. The house was built huge - but built very cheaply. This is where we need regulations. My friends did not know what they were getting into and had no way to understand how cheaply constructed some of their house is.

[@gerardsotxoa]

please no. Keep the regulations for yourself and Europe. If any make adverstisments of how much money you can save with german windows.

[@rogerwilco2]

We only built houses to such low standards in the decade after WW2, everything both before and after is built to much higher standards.

[@piotrek4302]

A few days ago I was delivering something to Idaho, 30min south of Coeur d'Alene, a new subdivision - $3-$5mil dollar houses covered with just the T......k membrane before siding, no outside insulation ;((( loss of energy will be huge.....

[@zachjones2346]

Regulations kill business and make things more expensive. Their problem was they picked a shoddy builder and went cheap. You get what you pay for.

[@dianeshelton9592]

Regulations are there to ensure people and the world are kept safe. Funnily enough some of the most heavily regulated countries and the most vibrant economies. Largely because people trust their products and so they can charge a premium for them. So your argument is that no regulations are best because I can make products cheaper regardless of any safely features. Yeah maybe that’s why no one buys the gas guzzler trucks and cars that the US makes.

[@grand04gt]

I love that you got involved with Matt Risinger as both of you are very tallented and enjoy learning not only what the new processes are but what makes them better....if they are even better. The scientific approach both of you take is why anyone that is remodeling, building, or having a home built needs to watch your videos

[@uofirob]

As a first-time homeowner, I wish I knew about some of these products earlier. I bought in 2013, had to replace my furnace in 2014 (I went with a 98% efficiency natural gas, because that was the most efficient that I was able to find at the time). I'm looking to go with solar and eventually replace our windows. I wish there were easier ways to turn our existing house into a super-efficient home without having to teardown/rebuild or build in a new location. Could you do some videos on products us existing-homeowners could look into to easily (without a ton of demo) help improve our home's efficiency?

[@Blaquer17]

I'm in a similar situation. We desperately need to reduce our cooling bills in the summer, but full window replacement on our 60 year old house is almost prohibitively expensive.

[@donw4889]

Its not worth the cost to the environment to make those type of changes. Even solar today, is iffy on weather is better for the environment the battery technology isn't good enough, item need to make today battery damage the environment almost as much, maybe even more, from the environment cost of dig to ship half way around the world just shift the environment impact to another country.

[@mikewnuk4157]

If you're thinking of replacing your siding, then there is a lot you can do. First, install a good air barrier, not tyvek, either a peel and stick or fluid applied. Take special care how the air barrier meets the roof at the soffit. Then install a few inches of continuous insulation (thickness depends on climate and where your dewpoint lands in the cavity), though the more the better. Make sure you have foil faced insulation to minimize radiant heat transfer (when the sun hits your house). Then put 3/4" to 1" thick furring over the insulation and reside your house. This is also a good time to replace windows if it's in the budget. This will help a lot with some heat gain/loss, but the biggest bang for your buck is in your attic. Due to pressure differential, you have the most heat exchange at the top (and the bottom) of the house. So think about putting a radiant barrier below your trusses, seal your attic floor, and add a lot of insulation (make sure you don't install more weight than your gypsum board ceiling can handle). The final step is to seal all cracks in your envelope, especially at the lowest levels. A few caveats: check radon levels since sealing houses so tightly will negatively affect radon levels, get CO2 monitors with alarms as the lower ACH will allow CO2 to build up - larger houses wont be affected as much as smaller houses. If you are using gas for anything, sealing a house can negatively affect the venting for gas equipment, possibly creating a buildup of carbon monoxide so if any of your appliances use the interior atmosphere for combustion, you'll have to fix/vent/replace it. If sealing your house too tight, you may also have to hire a mechanical contractor to duct fresh air into your building, which means that without a energy (heat) recovery system, you just put an 8" diameter hole in your envelope. Remember the three energy transfer methods and knock them out as best as possible - Conduction, Convection, and Radiation.

[@optimize.]

Happy to hear you guys think about this. Newly build homes in the Netherlands have an energy rating of A++ or even A+++. If you apply these rules at scales you can make it affordable and profitable over the lifetime of the home.

[@Mark-vn7et]

And because of those rules building a house is so expensive that most people can’t even afford a house anymore, do you not watch the news or anything? A contractor can’t sell a house that cost them 400k in land and building for 300k

[@Codraroll]

How does these ratings translate in practice? The number of plusses can look impressive, but they have to have concrete figures attached to mean anything to the reader.

[@SuperDirk1965]

Apparantly the americans have the constitutional right to waste energy.

[@SuperDirk1965]

@@Mark-vn7et What do building rules have to do with the price of the land?

[@Mark-vn7et]

@@SuperDirk1965 because it’s a combined factor, so unless you want to build a motorhome you kinda need land to build on

[@chiquita683]

You highlight the savings but forgot to add in the cost difference between what you have and the other houses do. Solar panels and windows arent free. Also it'd be useful to factor in the degradation of the insulation and other air tight structures as the home naturally settles which all do or materials break down. It seems like there is an assumption that the materials last in perpetuity.

[@Iceeeen]

Return of investment. If you are going to live there for 40 years it will be cheap in the long run. If you selling at least where I'm located will bring much higher price (usually higher than investment cost) compared to a house with bad grade. Materials used for it will last, isolation will not degrade and settle if done correctly, my 50s home was isolated in the 80s with rock wool by previous owner, it has not settled yet. A heat pump (ground) has a calculated lifespan of 25 years and the technlogy has moved forward so fast that atleast the ones that are 25 years old now are so inefficient that the savings are made up in a a couple of years for a new on, the piping wont need touch for 60-100 years depending on how long the hole lasts. Same with most consecerning "passive" house

[@veitforabetterworld]

We renovated our (German) house a few years ago and windows with 3-layer glass were our only option since 2-layer glass is no longer sold by local companies. Another requirement was ventilation with heat exchangers

[@fionafiona1146]

My parents built in the 90s and current building codes meet their original choices (meanwhile they saved many € on heating), I expect the new roof to exceed German requirements again.

[@TheJensss]

The North American energy system has to be one of the biggest achilles' heel for modern houses in the US. The European 400V based TN system is superior in almost every way. Since I live in Norway, one of the world's most bureaucratic and over regulated countries in the world. I also want to add that government regulations like building codes aren’t always positive, because it often causes a lot of negative side effects like the requirement to send a building application to local regulators which would then be approved or declined. This causes a lot of bureaucracy, time and cost and, it removes your freedom to decide what you want to do with your own house and property. Building codes also often impose specific tasks to be done by certified personnel or installers. For DIY persons like me, this has become a nightmare because I’m not allowed to touch any electrical of plumbing work if I want it "legally installed"… It doesn't matter if you are qualified to do the job. As long as you dont have the right papers, electrical or plumbing work are illegal. Obtaining the papers to do this kind of work are impossible for private persons that does not work as installers in a certified business, which are also are required to have a pile of certified papers. To obtain papers with the permits to this kind of work, well you would need to take 2 years of education at a certified school, and then work as an apprentice for 2 more years. So yeah, it takes you 4 years of education to legally be able to mount a power outlet in. your own house... So, the point is, be careful about wishing for more regulations and requirements even if they were initially positive. Because the side effects often have massively negative consequences for a lot of people.

[@AccidentalScience]

I feel you mate. It's the same here at the southern side of the Alps, sadly.

[@TheJensss]

@@AccidentalScience Sad to see the bureaucracy cancer spreading to your country too... If they had only made it possible to take a test or something to prove that you have the necessary qualifications, a lot of problems would have been solved. Such a test could then have given you a permit to work and do installations on your own property.

[@petaren]

Trust me, the bureaucracy in the US is way worse. Having more regulations is not automatically better. But likewise, having none is not a good choice either. It’s about having the correct kinds of regulations for the right purposes, and making sure that the systems in place to support and enforce them are efficient and just.

[@TheJensss]

@@petaren I agree with you, but you guys have a different type of bureaucracy, and since the US generally is a more liberal country, where the political landscape is far more to the right and personal freedom and rights is way more valued. The direct consequences for people’s lives are often less. Just to give an example on differences on how most people in Norway and the US think from my point of view. In Norway it is illegal to drive a dirt bike on your own field, because it can be dangerous and if you injure yourself the government gets the cost for your healthcare etc. Most people support this because we are used to such regulations. In the US it is legal to drive a dirt bike on your own field, and the government does not care because you would need to take care of yourself if you are injured etc. Unlike Norwegians you Americans are used to this kind of freedom and responsibility. So, you are automatically a lot more negative to regulations that would limit your freedom. I hope you get my point even if the example wasn't the best.

[@petaren]

@@TheJensss I agree that there are definitely more liberties in some aspects in the US. My own experience is one of growing up in Sweden and moving to the US with my company. The experience from a business perspective was that there were significantly more bureaucracy to operate a business in the US compared to Sweden. Not just from a government perspective, but also in terms of doing business with other companies. When it comes to building houses, it’s about the same story. Getting permits and doing things in Sweden has its bureaucracy, but it’s fairly well known and deterministic. Over here, it’s a whole different story. It’s expensive, permits can cost as much as a house in Sweden, it’s time consuming and difficult.

[@boblinda1738]

I just returned from my first trip to Europe. In talking with a guide for one of the tours I had taken, she explained that new home construction in her country, France, is mainly of concrete. There is no stick built construction. I found it very interesting. The only way to come close to a home like yours is to build custom. DO NOT BUY spec.

[@AgentMoler]

I do agree that we need to figure out ways to make homes more energy efficient and improve standards on construction materials but my concern is that more regulation will further increase costs. I'm not sure how they can implement these higher standards without making homes more unaffordable.

[@NothingXemnas]

With or without regulations, such homes would invariably be more expensive. Leave to the state, regulation middlemen will take a slice. Leave to the companies, they will milk profit out of "gourmet houses". Wealthier people frequently don't care for how expensive such houses are, and some may even turn them into rental housing or keep them as assets. The market as it is, right now, is not ready for such housing.

[@jordiargomaniz7]

Hi, I just wanted to thank you for the high quality content. I’ve been following the channel for a long time and almost never miss a video. I’m an energy efficiency enthusiast and I really appreciate what you do. Keep up the great work. Thanks 🙏

[@ragtop63]

It’s pretty obvious why the US isn’t on the right side of the energy race. Politics. As long as we keep allowing politicians to take bribes from fossil fuel conglomerates and the like, energy efficiency policy will either never exist or be suboptimal. Energy companies don’t make money on net zero energy efficient homes. It’s in the best interests of those energy companies to pay millions of dollars to a crooked politician so that they can reap the benefits of the lack of energy efficiency policy. The second reason is the lack of understanding at the general consumer level. You can talk to people all day about the benefits of clean energy and energy efficiency but if they don’t have the mental capacity to follow, then stuff like “tree hugger” and “recycle bad, trash good” is the only thing they’ll understand. It’s a harsh reality of the intellectual quality of the US.

[@legacypt1963]

We suck due to the amount of over regulation in land use, cost to hook up to utilities, and taxes on property. We need smaller lots, apartments, and townhomes. America in thst equation decided that to save money we should build crappy and poorly designed living structures.

[@joshwestphaln9260]

Great video! A lot of the information posed though was from the view of new construction, which codes like IECC and ASHRAE 90.1 cover. New construction is an easy starting point because you have the ability to design around being energy efficient fairly easily as long as you are able to afford the upfront costs. However, renovating an older building to be either up to current code or better is a larger challenge. It is not so simple for existing homes to offset a lot of its energy use, and sometimes there are codes fighting against certain home modifications, such as weatherization for manufactured homes with HUD code or generally historic buildings/districts. It would be great to see a video addressing this side, including all the challenges, solutions being developed, and how the U.S. compares to the rest of the world in regards to existing buildings. Again, great video! Cannot wait to see more 😄

[@MonkeyJedi99]

I have lived in many older buildings here in Massachusetts, where we get snow and freezing temperatures for around 1/3 of the year, and all of these older homes had zero or near-zero wall insulation, most has single-pane sash windows (with those wonderful wind channels that CAN'T be insulated to leave room for the ropes and weights), and most of them had oil heat, usually forced hot water baseboards.

[@ContraVsGigi]

One thing you need to pay a lot of attention to with these air-tight houses is the water vapor management. You need to apply good techniques and materials, not to have later problems. For instance your wall insulation will not fare well if it gets wet. And in the end, no matter what you buy, if the one installing them does not know hpw to work with those materials, it is almost a waste and you'll have later problems, expensive to fix ones. But if they get it right, you'll enjoy a confortable and low-maintenance-low-costs house every single day.

[@rogerwilco2]

There have been regulations and proper building codes for such things for decades. At least the early 1970s.

[@ContraVsGigi]

@@rogerwilco2 There was no standardized good passive house codes in 1970, at least not in the US. Passive houses need a different level of attention and materials than "regulqr" ones.

[@Kazner0h]

Fascinating video, and the comparison between how we run things here in the U.S. vs how things are ran else where is staggering. I really wished we built things with the future in mind here.

[@anthonyk423]

High majority of builder only care about profit in the US so they do as little as possible and a lot of the builders now are building homes that won’t last. But some US builders build above code and are more concerned with reputation than profits. You have to research these builders and the products they use because a lot of times because most of the money you spend goes right in the builders pockets and not into the quality of the home. Most homes in the US are terribly built but not all homes are.

[@frankmalenfant2828]

Very informative and informative as always. In the part of Canada where I live, there are energy efficiency subsidies that will also pay for certified inspectors evaluating your energy efficiency before and after the works to help evaluate the subsidies, but their report also provides a prioritized and personalized list of improvements that can be done to reduce the energy costs even further.

[@sparksmcgee6641]

US has that and they will pay for many basic improvements for the owner. Simple government money doing the right thing.

[@Jarod_Bennett]

Great video Matt. As someone who works as an HVAC engineer, it was cool to see you reference energy codes. Washington is always a difficult state for us to work in as it’s mechanical efficiency requirements are higher than standard IECC codes

[@Codraroll]

In Norway, building physics is its own engineering specialization. Feels so strange to see HVAC people doing those jobs in other countries. Over here, those engineers work only with systems and don't touch the walls of a house at all, except to lead their ducts through them.

[@stephendoherty8291]

Does the higher codes not push you to offer a better standard to those outside Washington as a market feature over the rest who all compete on the lowest quality cost.

[@dhavidcg]

As someone who live in tropical country, I am thankful that I don't need to worry at all about airtightness and insulation. We even tried our best to make our home as open as we can for better airflow, natural heat dissipation and to regulate high humidity level. It's the exact opposite of a home in a 4 season country 😅

[@din6675]

Sound waves, dust and bugs also catch a ride through those natural airflows though.

[@dhavidcg]

​@@din6675Yep, that is correct. Brooming, mopping once, twice or even three times a day is a norm since I was a kid.

[@PhotonBeast]

Insulation isn't just about keeping heat in; it's about keeping the temperature difference more stable. So it also means keeping cold air in as well. ACs also have a mild dehumidification effect.

[@stephendoherty8291]

However as the climate changes then your home will experience ever hotter-humid inside and your airflow will make Aircon very expensive (assuming local power prices are not free)

[@dhavidcg]

@@stephendoherty8291 I believe that global climate changes are true and impactful to the nature and global situation. But in day to day life (in hot/tropical country) generally it isn't too noticeable.. probably because it is already hot since we're born.. I believe with heating in cold climate, it was being done in the whole house? But, in my place we are very rarely do that. House with a luxury of an aircon, usually only place it in their bedroom, which usually isn't too big (houses in Asia generally already smaller than in the US to begin with) and use it only when they are sleeping in the night. Plus efficiency in recent aircon technology (like inverter and smart management) help to reduce the wattage usage furthermore. Price increase is obviously to be expected, but it might not as expensive as you might think for aircon case.

[@ReekohMcZero]

Well, I wouldn't be so hard on US building. I'm from Switzerland, and worked as electrician then as electrical engineer for the past the 23 years. First, not all houses are made with high efficiency standards, far from that. Many architectecs aim for below the minimal requirements and hope not get caught on inspection. There is a lot of trained workers missing on the field, and many people aren't professionnals on the housing construction sites, so air or water sealing is far from always done right. And old houses still not updated regarding insulation. But the major problem, it's that here, in Switzerland, even in rural areas, houses are so expensive because of our construction techniques, that even a working couple with degrees can't afford a house whitout wealth from heritage. A small family house costs around 800'000 USD. An "american suburban" sized house costs more tan 1'000'000 USD. So yes, our housses can survive hearthquakes, tornados, but they either belong to the bank or you will pass debt to your kids.

[@johnkom2339]

This is what I've heard too (and seen in some other KZbin videos). So the building techniques Matt describes are probably happening only in select areas for select homes that WILL be expensive, being bought by cost-no-object owners. That's not typical.

[@noahfoufoulas4761]

As a recent graduate from an Engineering program in Canada that had a lot of focus on building science, I can confirm that Canada is really pushing high efficiency construction. I love seeing videos like this as it is something that impacts all of use, and I hope high efficiency construction is more widely adopted in other parts of the world.

[@14sasst]

I’m building an ADU and I could not find a builder in my area who had any idea about passive homes. I no Psy struggle with the builder I found on every aspect I try to do differently than he does all the time.

[@hectorae86]

I am from the EU, the Netherlands to be exact.... And our current problem is the fact that government regulations make things like building a net zero house near impossible for the average citizen.

[@brianohehir9515]

Thanks for your great presentations Will, i think Australia is well behind on this, however our building standards for bushfire are far more advanced than the US. I find it amazing that the US uses bitumen based roof shingles in bushfire prone locations.

[@MissionaryForMexico]

We are using James Hardy concrete roof shingles and concrete siding now!

[@LucasFernandez-fk8se]

Our roof shingles look more attractive than Australian houses though. 🤷‍♂️. Canada does their roofs the same way too. I’d say North America prefers attractive homes to overly practical ones. We’d rather have 5000 sqft of gorgeous cheaply built house than 1300 sqft of an energy efficient, fireproof, earthquake proof house

[@123batina]

It's funny you talking about EU vs USA in terms of energy conservation. Recently I have seen a video by highly known KZbinr installing off grid modules to his house. His house uses as much energy as a building 10x the size in which my apartment is located in. Mind you it's a high end place in my capital, as in 100 quite rich ppl live here. We have 20cm Rockwool insulation and triple pane windows. Our complete energy costs for cooling or heating in extreme conditions come down to around 100E per 100m2 unit a month. Avg hovering around 50E a month.

[@florimond.]

Here in France you can't rent your house/appartement if it doesn't have a certain energy efficiency rating (which is quite high tbh)

[@LuonFoto]

Here in Finland all new houses use almost exclusively heat pumps (air/geothermal) for heating the house and tap water and this has been the case for quite some time now. Many old houses that has used electricity, oil or district heating have been fitted with heatpumps. Even new appartment blocks now gets heat from geothermal and district heating companies have started to produce heating from geothermal. I'm really sad to hear that the way you chose to build your house, which would be a standard house in this part of the world, isn't common in america. America is just so far behind here, it's just baffling.

[@ItsJust2SXTs]

They are far behind in electricity, 110v is too low for power tool it maxed out at 1800W because most outdoor and garage circuit are 15Amps. 20A cricuit could be installed but not enought tool are made to take the 20Amps since it's not common. Another con, you lost a lot of power in the extension cord. Generally the 110V is inefficient. 220V 16Amps is perfect. Also the fuse box are from 1800s. no GFCI/AFCI in the box some are at the outlet for kitchen/bathroom/garage near the sink/outside plug but that's it, mostly GFCI... Add the fact that the ceiling light are on the same circuit as the plug! So when you power a power full tool the light dim... really annoying. Oh and the plugs are really unsafe, you can get electrocuted because the plug is flush on the wall not recessed, you can break the blade and the ground pin really easy. Wire are not in conduit so never gonna be able to replace, unless tearing down the house... stupid...

[@wackytheshaggy]

I’m about to start converting / improving the energy efficiency of a listed building in Cyprus. Super interesting problems as ours lovely and cool without air conditioning in 40C but pretty miserable in the winter. But as it is listed my options are limited and this channel provides some creative ideas for me, who as a German working with these things considers passive house standards the bare minimum :D

[@haydenschulze2198]

No idea why nobody in the comments is talking about cost. If you build a new home in germany, you're going to be paying at least 375,000 euros for a standard home. You can buy pre-fabricated for cheaper there, but its not that good. In america, you can EASILY build a standard home for 150,000 usd. We dont bottleneck 3/4 of the population from buying a home here. If you have the money, build a nice home. There are architects and builders who can build passive homes. Also, i live in the south. Grew up in louisiana. Ive sat through multiple cat 5 hurricanes running through my neighborhood in a stick frame home. It held up each time. Yes, high quality homes are nice. Paying 400,000 usd in build materials fucking sucks though when youre making less than 100k a year. This ia coming from someone who uses solar panels, uses r-49 insulation in not just my attic, but most walls, and uses triple planed glass. I grew up poor though, so i can empathize with people who arent ballin out of fucking control though, unlike all of these champagne socialists here.

[@salibaba]

The UK has a very much fabric first view on energy efficiency upgrades, which are now very commonplace. Cavity wall insulation; to fill the void between outer and inner brick layers, loft (attic) fibreglass/rock wool insulation are very common to have been done in the past 20 years. We’ve had a higher level done due to having solid walls with no cavity, External Wall Insulation. The whole building is wrapped with insulation panels, weatherproofed then rendered. It’s cut our heating demand by 1/3. Costly but becoming very popular due to the high energy costs here. After that we had an air to water heat pump installed to replace our broken boiler, which has cut the energy demand by 2/3 again. We’ve cut our heat use from about 13000kWh of gas per year 5yrs ago to roughly 2800kWh of electricity to run the heating and hot water. Not bad considering our solar produces about 2500kWh per year. I try to run the house and heating as much as I can from our cheaper overnight stored electricity and max out water heating during the day if we are exporting.

[@szabolcsmate5254]

One thing that's silly about the UK construction industry is its obsession with bricks. There are better materials to build a house now, and also, insulation should go on the outside, not in the inside. If the bricks were the inner layer, their thermal mass would help stabilising the temperature. But no. In the UK, buildings have to LOOK as all other buildings, made out of bricks. It's just crazy.

[@salibaba]

@@szabolcsmate5254 in fairness it’s due to us having loads and loads of really old houses. Many of our older housing stock was built using the cheapest materials available to meet the requirements. Quarries were everywhere in the UK and wood was expensive. Rather than tear old buildings down its generally more financially economical for folks in a budget to buy an older house and make sure it’s retrofitted as much as the can afford. New houses here aren’t cheap.

[@szabolcsmate5254]

@@salibaba but why are new houses still have an outer shell made of bricks, and an inner shell that is a better insulating material? It would make so much sense to build a strong shell, made of bricks or even better, breeze blocks, then put insulation on the outside.

[@salibaba]

@@szabolcsmate5254 I can only pass comment on the new buildings I see near me, but they aren’t always completely wrapped in brick. And by wrapped I mean exactly that. It’s a skin, not structural. Exterior bricks tend (I think) to be more about weatherproofing and aesthetics now. I see quite a lot round here built with timber/steel frames with some concrete supports, then external panels put on the outside as cladding, sometimes wood cladding. I’ve also seen many which are finished with a rough cast on top of insulation panels.

[@salibaba]

@@szabolcsmate5254 probably down to cost. Cost of materials, cost to lay. There may also be planning restrictions encouraging the use of low(er) carbon materials. Block work and concrete production is quite energy intensive. This is all just speculation based on my own observations. I’m not in any way connected to the construction industry so couldn’t speak for the economics.

[@MDEUSX]

No one can even say, this couldn’t work on a bigger scale - I went to a school that was certified as a passive building iirc, or at least very close to it. It lacked in nothing and was a retrofitted older school originally build during GDR times

[@djgtidwell]

Having lived in many countries including Africa, Europe, America and Canada I have to say I was shocked by the paper nature of American homes. They are fundamentally nothing more than 2x4's with wax paper and plywood. They look superficially grand in many instances but are completely incapable of surviving weather events. Given America suffers Tornadoes, Hurricanes, intense thunder storms, ice-storms, heat storms and termites it is incredible that a house can be built NOT to last. Even roof shingles are a joke; they don't last 5 years. My UK house was built in 1902 and is sound masonry, heavily tiled roof and will easily survive bad weather events, and termites can't eat it! Then again, have you compared house prices between America and the UK or Germany?

[@The_Lone_Aesir]

That's mostly true for houses built before the codes were codified. Houses built, and professionally remodeled, today have a mix of insulation in the walls as well as an insulating wrap on the outside. Both providing insulation and air tightness. Also houses built in states with bad weather systems have to be built to handle them. My house built in 1962 handles the hurricanes we get. Tornados are kind of the exception as those things will wreck even the most hardened structure.

[@Knight_Kin]

Claiming roof shingles don't even last five years is trolling, bud. Maybe try buying a brand like GAF and not some Chinese import.

[@Myria83]

That's why they don't make them energy-efficient: it's not worth it, since they are disposable, and not meant to last more than 30 years or so.

[@djgtidwell]

@@Myria83 Well, yes, I think that was my point, without saying it directly. American houses are built of materials that rot, get eaten, or don't last. Here in the UK our local Pub was built in the 12th century, and we still hang out in it today, over 700 years later :-). I guess its not impossible to build things out of 2x4's and plywood, but they are not as tough as brick. Look at Matt's video, the opening frame shows an American house being built. It is nothing but 2x4's and chipboard with a membrane. That's not the same as 2 layers of brick, with an air gap for insulation that is common here in Europe.

[@The_Lone_Aesir]

@@djgtidwell "common" depends entirely on which european country you are referring to. as an example matt has shown that the swiss use a lot of wood in their housing construction. additonally you are being over simplistic in your description on how modern american homes are built, your description is more akin to the houses built before the 90s. and frankly you are outright lying about the lifespan of shingles. Asphalt shingles have a 30 year rated lifespan. that said i do wish houses here in the states incorporated more masonry in their construction; but at least we have caught up and passed a good chunk of the world when it comes to air tightness and ventilation.

[@johnnyjoseph1389]

Raising building standards even higher than they already are is all well and good if you're willing to continue to price everyone but the most wealthy among us out of home ownership. Personally I think returning to a more 40s and 50s model of building small cheap homes as quickly as possible would be more likely to solve the home ownership crisis we are currently experiencing.

[@laloajuria4678]

as someone in TN right now, can confirm builders do the cheapest shit possible. 4 custom homes built near me, all paper thin!

[@oliverranderson9292]

As a British person I can agree that our efficiency targets for new homes are high, they are also revised every few years. The downside about this is that it does cause house builders to take slower approach as they need to adapt to changes in regulations and hire trained workers, this means chasing a higher target means less houses can be built.

[@riskinhos]

with brexit. because you have no workers now.

[@mjed1654]

I think one thing you avoided (intentionally or not) is that with more strict building codes, the cost of building goes up. Kind of an important detail. It already costs frigin $400,000 to build a house where I live lol. Now, over time will it be more cost efficient to pay more up front and have better insulation and such? Probably - though I would’ve liked to have seen that data. This almost seemed like propaganda for us to have the Fed step in on yet another way and tell the States how to do business. Sorry if I come off as mean - I did really appreciate the video, I just think it left out some nuance.

[@jankuesters]

It almost certainly will be more cost efficient, the only question is over which time. Houses in Germany (where I'm living) are build to last for at least 100 Years. And the additional insulation easely pays for itself over that timeframe. But american homes ar just not build well enought to last that long, espacially residentiel ones...

[@jankuesters]

@@chartedtravel1776 I haven‘t said anything against wood as a building material. You absolutely can build houses out of wood, which last hundreds of years, we‘ve got many her in Germany/Europe. But they have to be built well. But the standards of building in the USA are extremly low. And you know that you can remodel and add to a house? Houses in the USA are just cheaply built consumable commodities, without any regards for sustainability or long term vision.

[@legendaryz_ch]

I am gonna build my own passive house with dualsun solar heat and electricity panels, battery in the basement and a smart electricity tariff which allows me to export electricity when expensive and Import when it's cheap. By that you can actually get money for living in your house effectively. For heating/warm water i am gonna use a heatpump with a Reservoir being linked to the solar heated water from my roof. With an EV i have to pay for electricity in the end but the house itself is net zero cost.

[@12345678bobster]

I'm from Germany, and due to all these regulations and standards, building new houses has become basically non-affordable for anyone in middle class or below - even upper middle class is having problems. Not just that, the regulations have become so bad that it's a nightmare to build (very long build times, not enough experts, insane amounts of paperwork etc), as well as also insanely bad when having to renovate older housees who do not meet these standards. It's absolutely horrible.

[@zuzanazuscinova5209]

This exactly. It's all very well being energy efficient but who can afford it? American houses might appear like shacks but people could at least aspire to have one (until recently). I'm European and moved to the US for this very reason. I couldn't even dream of owning a house in Europe.

[@fietsenOveral4650]

it's not like housing is a affordable in most of the US at this point - beyond generally safety, we left the US for Europe because it's almost impossible to afford a place to live in any desirable neighborhood. I know a couple who work 2 jobs each to afford to live in a dumpy Midwest suburb 25 miles from the city center.

[@LucasFernandez-fk8se]

@@zuzanazuscinova5209American houses aren’t “shacks”. They’re mcmansions. We have huge houses globally. They’re huge and gorgeous and built out of plastic and wood chips. Yes they’re cheaply and poorly built. They’re fine though. They don’t NEED to be built better. And the average family can have 3000 sqft and a 2-3 bay garage, and 3 full bathrooms and 4-5 bedrooms in America. It’s good for society

[@arnodobler1096]

I recently saw on YT US American carpenters who were visiting Switzerland, including a training center for carpenters, and their eyes popped out. One guy said I'll never call myself "master" again after I saw that! Training is an important point! Craftsmanship still counts for something in Europe.

[@Icestorm_-pt8fs]

I wish I could build an energy-efficient home like you, but in today's economy, I struggle to believe I'll be able to build a house, let alone buy one.

[@nickmcdonald3083]

Matt here definitely dropped a cool half million on this house.