> And further, why bother calling it "the European model"?
Because I've seen radiators and decent insulation in literally every house I've ever been in anywhere in Europe. Warm places like Greece and Portugal included.
Differences are mostly attributable to the age of a house rather than its location. But arguably old stone houses (200+ years) in hot places have the best insulation in that they are simply built with 1m+ thick walls and super tiny windows.
Insulation. It works. For both hot and cold.
Granted, the moderner your building and the thinner walls and more cement it uses, the likelier you are to need AC in summer. In old buildings you get enough cooling by just airing the house overnight and keeping everything closed during the day ... unless of course you have a big computer in your room. Then you're screwed.
Because I've seen radiators and decent insulation in literally every house I've ever been in anywhere in Europe. Warm places like Greece and Portugal included.
Differences are mostly attributable to the age of a house rather than its location. But arguably old stone houses (200+ years) in hot places have the best insulation in that they are simply built with 1m+ thick walls and super tiny windows.
Insulation. It works. For both hot and cold.
Granted, the moderner your building and the thinner walls and more cement it uses, the likelier you are to need AC in summer. In old buildings you get enough cooling by just airing the house overnight and keeping everything closed during the day ... unless of course you have a big computer in your room. Then you're screwed.