Mold and condensation: if the solution is worse than the problem

We cover here two real examples of mold and condensation problems, with thermal insulation installed on the inside of existing masonry walls. In both cases, the solutions were chosen on an empirical basis, and turned out to be worse than the problems they were trying to mitigate.

blackout-proof home graphic

The blackout-proof home: Passive House with high time constant

Last week, our region (Emilia, Italy) was pounded with what locals are calling "The Big Snow". With it came very tangible proof of just how fragile is our infrastructure, particularly our electrical grid. When my husband wrote this article, originally in Italian, FOUR DAYS after the February 6th Big Snow, more than 1000 homes in the province of Reggio Emilia alone were still without electricity, leaving 4,000 people to brave the cold, many without sufficient heating. How can we fix this problem?