• invalidusernamelol [he/him]
    ·
    7 months ago

    Good idea for storing excess heat, but without Soviet style communal heat pipe networks it's basically useless because the transmission loss of distribution is already applied. And if you're using solar panels you'd have better luck just putting the pots in the sun and bringing them in later.

    • iridaniotter [she/her]
      ·
      7 months ago

      Soviet style communal heat pipe

      District heating? I know it exists throughout the world, but was it especially common in the USSR?

      • invalidusernamelol [he/him]
        ·
        7 months ago

        I know that it was a big part of new development under Stalin after the war, but it's incredibly uncommon in the US so the only real exposure to it I've had is through reading communist literature on development.

        So I'm probably biased into thinking it was more common in the USSR than other places.

        I think bigger US cities have had it in the past, but where I'm from the past (and present) is either oil/wood or heat pump.

        • Septimaeus@infosec.pub
          ·
          6 months ago

          Steam is still distributed in New York. It’s why the Gotham manhole vented steam aesthetic can still be seen in-person: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_steam_system

          Definitely not the most efficient heating. Just lots of old construction in this city.

          • invalidusernamelol [he/him]
            ·
            6 months ago

            Oh damn, I'm obviously not from NYC lol. Didn't know how extensive the district heating system was there.

          • callTheQuestion [any]
            ·
            6 months ago

            having a hard time contemplating this. imagining a time in the US when something like heating was collectivized instead of being left to the individual to manage. sounds like a pretty big project to design and implement.

    • Dickey_Butts [none/use name]
      hexagon
      ·
      7 months ago

      I think most people use them for greenhouses and the like. Definitely not practical for bigger spaces.