"To ventilate or not to ventilate - that is the question"

Progress:
Today when I came home from work, the original renovation of a bedroom, the bathroom and a guest restroom had been completed. The last part they finished today was to install the 2 mirrors with the integrated lights and associated light-switches. We are looking forward to try the new shower/bathroom, but we still have to wait for the ventilation system to be started (to pull the warm/humid air out of the bathroom) .

The ventilation team did not show up today and the remaining installation tasks are listed below:

• The internal piping is nearly finished - unless we end up with the original design which includes a separate loop of ventilation pipes (see comments below)
• The outdoor part of the heatpump has now been delivered, but they still have to connect it to the indoor part of the heatpump
• They still haven't put in place the mechanism for transportation of water from the indoor-part of the heatpump to the drainage point in the restroom (WC). This water comes from the humidity in the air that condenses when the air is being cooled down in the summer.
  

In my previous blog-post I mentioned that the ventilation team had changed the solution without discussing this change with me. I was upset, but politely asked for an explanation. In their response yesterday they tried to convince me that a single pipe from the hallway to the ventilation aggregate was a better solution than the original design that included a completely separate loop (with a separate fan) from the cellar to the 4 bedrooms above on the first floor.

I have explained to them that I must be convinced that the solution can provide us with cooler air in the bedrooms than the rest of the house – and the new design doesn’t seem to deliver this as well as the original design. Last night I sent an email response saying that, unless they can come up with a better answer, I want the original design.

The response came this afternoon, but I still don't see how a system that sends the same fresh and heated/cooled air to all the rooms (including bedrooms) - can be better and more flexible than the original design that was based on two entirely separated systems. I have again told them what is important to us and asked for a detailed explanation.

Events:
USA and China talks spark new hope for results in Copenhagen:

"Obama, Hu seek to reinvigorate Copenhagen climate talks"

On climate, Obama said the United States and China are looking for a comprehensive deal during next month's climate change conference in Copenhagen that will "rally the world". Obama said the goal at the December meeting should be an agreement that has "immediate operational effect", not just a political declaration.

Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen, speaking on the sidelines of the two-day meeting, lauded China and the United States' support for his country's push to reach a politically binding agreement at the conference to take "immediate operational effect."
"I am glad that the Danish strategy was supported today in Beijing at the Chinese-American summit ... it confirms that we have taken the right stance," Rasmussen told reporters.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/world/11/17/09/denmark-lauds-us-china-support-climate-talks

"Faith leaders present to U.N. 60 plans to help fight climate change"

Leaders of nine major faiths have presented 60 ideas for lessening carbon emissions to the United Nations after Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon singled out the religious community as key in fighting climate change.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2009-11-10-faith-climate-change_N.htm

Electric appliances such as cooker, washing machine, TV, computers and coffee machines account for 41 percent of electricity consumption in norwegian homes, according to figures from Statistics Norway (Statistisk Sentralbyraa). Back in 1990 these products were responsible for "only" 28 percent of private household electricity consumption.

People do not necessarily throw the old components, but re-use them in the summer house. Or they end up in the basement, where for example the old refrigerator gets a new role as a wine cooler. We have more money to spend and a different lifestyle, and technological developments have also provided us with multiple devices, said Arne Morten Johnsen in Enova to the newspaper "Vaart Land" (Our Country).

When Christmas is approaching, we will see increasing sales of electrical goods that we perhaps could have managed without, he believes. People have different perceptions of what constitutes a good life and good comfort, but maybe we could drop some of the "nice to have" stuff and stick to the things we really need, said Johnsen.