New House Video

[Beaglehound]

That looks great, love the big windows, can imagine it is very bright. No curtains/blinds is a choice or yet to be done?

We wanted to see what living here was like before deciding on whether we'd need curtains or not. During summer, as the sun is much higher in the sky, it's actually not too much of a problem. But now the sun is getting lower, it does come straight in, so we are looking at getting some blinds, which would also help keep heat out in the summer, and in in the winter.
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We did the same when we moved into our new house last year. My teaching room needs blinds, same issue of lower sun in winter, but the rest of the windows/French doors are staying ‘naked’ for now.

[Moneymatters]

Thanks for sharing. Those windows are just dreamy.
You can even hear the quality when the large one slides open.

Replacing the windows in my tateuri is on my list but I wonder how much impact it will have. They are double glazed but are just comically ineffective insulators.

We had curtains then switched to blinds that fit neatly inside the window frames. Great improvement on heat retention in winter. Which is hardly surprising as you can see them bulge inward as air flows through the frame of a closed window.
The other benefits of blinds are, take up no space in the room and Kids can’t swing on them like Tarzan.

[adamu]

Oven!

[captainspoke]

...
We had curtains then switched to blinds that fit neatly inside the window frames. Great improvement on heat retention in winter. Which is hardly surprising as you can see them bulge inward as air flows through the frame of a closed window.
...

We have huge windows in one room, the whole wall--over five meters wide and 180cm tall (two large openings, two window 'panels' in each). Yes, that's a lot of window framing, relying on simple flaps for seals. They're double-glazed, but old style, and the casing & frames are just aluminum.

One simple trick that makes a big difference is to tape the edges. I've done this outside on ours, using electrical tape (vinyl) that's 20-30mm wide. You'll need a tall enough ladder, but this can then be done for peanuts, a couple rolls of tape. I do the left and right verticals, and not the middle (where the panels meet and they lock). And not the top (hard to reach), and I think the bottom should be left open just in case for drainage. Obviously, this effectively locks the windows shut till you remove the tape.

There's a second thing I've done, tho I skipped it last year. Due to the design of the framing, there's a small 'lip' top and bottom, about 10-12cm in from the glass. I've added verticals on the walls at each end that match up with those lips. Using double-sided tape, and a seemingly endless roll of 1 mil plastic from the home center, I can add what is effectively a third pane with good air cushion.And being taped up all round, it seals almost perfectly--when the wind blows it billows in/out a little as you described.

The plastic is not clear, almost but not really. So it destroys any view, and it does dim what light that enters a little. It's 'clearer' or brighter than sheer curtains, not by much, but it does so much more than those curtains.

With energy prices where they already are, I plan to do this soon (the tape has stayed on all summer), and I'll try to take some before/during/after pics and do a writeup here on the forum.

[Moneymatters]

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I'll try to take some before/during/after pics and do a writeup here on the forum.

WinterIsComing.jpg hurry!

I'm definately up for trying something and the outside taping sounds like it could help me. I need to test and see exactly where the air is coming from. I think it might be a mix of around the frame itself (That could be taped on the inside! Why did I not think of this.) but also the parts that open/close. Anyway, it will be an excuse to buy one of those telescopic ladders!

Now with the blinds we manage without heating the upstairs bedrooms throughout winter. Small solar gains and heat rising from the ground floor are getting trapped in more than before. Although it could also be my son's gaming PC from the heat it kicks out!

[RetireJapan]

We are super happy with our inplus windows (premade double glazing that just pops on inside the existing windows).

They're surprisingly reasonable to get done, and if you can install than yourself it's considerably cheaper.

[TJKansai]

One AC? Wow. We have 4...

I know at least 3 families that opted for upstairs kitchen/dining/living (we did too).

Is that an electric dryer? I heard those are huge energy consumers, so I am wondering if you are using it much.

[Ori]

It's always interesting to see how people build their houses in a way I would never do
However, I can understand most of your design choices, but the below two:
1) There is no space for hanging an outerwear in the SIC.
Actually this is what baffles me the most in Japanese houses. How it is supposed to work? You come home, go the the bedroom before even washing your hands, and hang your coat in the closet? What if it is wet? Are you ok with touching door knobs etc. with not washed hands?
Lately builders started to suggest to put an additional sink at the entrance, but besides taking space and costing money, it is not very convenient to wash one's hands while wearing a coat.
When I was asking builders about this they were mumbling something about Japanese houses being too small etc. but it's not true - if one has space for SIC, they have space for an outerwear rack. And I've seen plenty of huge houses, which still don't have any dedicated space for outerwear.
I don't know about the rest of the world, but this is unheard of in my home country.
2) How does this OM thing works?
Do I understand correctly that it blows by-product heat from the solar panel into the house? Does it make any sense economically considering construction and running costs?
OR does it perform double conversion solar->electricity->heat? This makes even less sense comparing to solar->electricity->AC.

[Tony]

Is that an electric dryer? I heard those are huge energy consumers, so I am wondering if you are using it much.

It's a gas dryer. We run it 3 or 4 times a week, and it barely seems to use up any gas. We have a gas cooktop, oven, dryer and a gas/electric hybrid water heater, and currently our monthly gas bill is about 1,500yen/month. So the dryer seems pretty efficient, and is also a monster when it comes to drying.

1) There is no space for hanging an outerwear in the SIC.
Actually this is what baffles me the most in Japanese houses. How it is supposed to work? You come home, go the the bedroom before even washing your hands, and hang your coat in the closet? What if it is wet? Are you ok with touching door knobs etc. with not washed hands?
Lately builders started to suggest to put an additional sink at the entrance, but besides taking space and costing money, it is not very convenient to wash one's hands while wearing a coat.
When I was asking builders about this they were mumbling something about Japanese houses being too small etc. but it's not true - if one has space for SIC, they have space for an outerwear rack. And I've seen plenty of huge houses, which still don't have any dedicated space for outerwear.
I don't know about the rest of the world, but this is unheard of in my home country.

If it's been raining, I'll usually hang my outerwear in the garage. We do plan on install something to hang coats on in the entrance area, but it's not high on our priorities right now. Coming from Australia, it's not something I've ever really had. And yeah, we have no problems not washing our hands first thing upon entering our house. Again, not something I've ever really worried about.

2) How does this OM thing works?
Do I understand correctly that it blows by-product heat from the solar panel into the house? Does it make any sense economically considering construction and running costs?
OR does it perform double conversion solar->electricity->heat? This makes even less sense comparing to solar->electricity->AC.

I'm assuming you mean the solar warmer on the balcony wall? It's an Italian product that is fairly basic. Most of the panel on the wall is just for the sun to warm up air that has collected inside it, but there is also a small solar power panel inside that runs a fan (if we have it turned on). The fan then pumps the sun-warmed air into the house. It has zero running costs, and helps us to get some more warm air into the house in colder months.

We also have a 4.3 kw solar array on the roof that is just for production.

[captainspoke]

A gas dryer is the bee's knees, or cat's meow, or however you may put it--especially if you have kids, and/or are in a wetter part of the country. Running cost is minimal (city gas for us), tho the unit itself isn't cheap, but it's a simple design and can have a very long life. Even things we might hang out we tumble for 5-10min to 'finish' and fluff.