SOLAR HEATING DEVICES

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28979, 21 August 1959, Page 15

SOLAR HEATING DEVICES

Address To Royal Society

The possible answer to the great expense of central heating may lie in solar heating devices. Mr R. F. Benseman, a senior scientific officer of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research expressed this opinion at a meeting of the mathematics and physics section of the Canterbury branch of the Royal Society of New Zealand. Last evening Mr Benseman spoke on thermal insulation.

In general, thermal insulation was a good thing, said Mr Benseman. The more insulation put into a structure, the greater the saving in heat, and subsequently heating expenses. For most houses in New Zealand, one inch of insulation was adequate, with perhaps the reservation that for central heating, something thicker would be an economic proposition.

Mr Benseman said there were many cases in which thermal insulation should be the last consideration. Most insulation was aimed at convection and conduction factors, and it was easy to overlook the eventual result of the misapplication of insulation. Reflective insulation, if misapplied, could cause a progressive vapour build-up in the home. This would condense on the cold, reflective surface, and not and mould would set in, There was always moisture in the home, but the amount depended a lot on the personal habits of the occupants, said Mr Benseman. Ordinary breathing on a cold night could steam windows. The ideal was insulation that kept heat in and dispelled moisture.