These are small capsule shaped tents where one person can sleep in. It is made of some thermal insulating plastic cloth. We can do climate control such as AC or heating or de/humidification inside these tents instead of entire house. It will be alot cheaper.
At night, when we goto bed, we can shutoff house's heating or AC and turn on the ones for tent. This will be super-economical in those cold countries where 25 % of average household's income is spent on heating alone in winters. Outside temp is much lesser at night than in daytime. Hence most of heating expenses must be occuring at night only, when we goto bed.
This idea is inspired from Japan's capsule hotels. Difference is, tent part, which makes it ultracheap and DIYable.-- VJW, Jan 17 2012 Igloo http://www.notonthe...ard_playhouse_iglooIf it gets really cold you could bring one of these indoors. [skinflaps, Jan 17 2012] Four poster bed http://en.wikipedia...iki/Four_poster_bedRemarkably warm, comfortable and draught-free. [8th of 7, Jan 17 2012] Box bed http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Box-bed [pocmloc, Jan 17 2012] It will also be cheaper to purify, sanitize, stirilize, microfilter the air within the tent. Mosquito control is automatically achieved.-- VJW, Jan 17 2012 On the heating side, it's called a down comforter or sleeping bag (mummy bag). If you manage to get cold in one of those, I'd be surprised, retained body heat is more than enough.
It also wouldn't be possible to completely turn off the heat, as (assuming indoor plumbing) you need to keep the pipes above freezing. You can turn it way down, however.-- MechE, Jan 17 2012 But in sleeping bag, there is no freedom to move. They cling to body. In case of tents, you can sleep in summer cloth in them.-- VJW, Jan 17 2012 My issue isn't being cold in bed, it's having to get out of my warm bed into a cold house. Maybe it would be better if the house could be set to only heat the bedrooms after a certain time at night, but I'm pretty sure that's baked.-- DIYMatt, Jan 17 2012 // better if the house could be set to only heat the bedrooms after a certain time at night, but I'm pretty sure that's baked. //
Yup, it is.
We wonder if [VJW] has ever come across the concept known as a "four poster bed". They are VERY effective !
<link>-- 8th of 7, Jan 17 2012 Four-poster beds are a bit flimsy. <link>-- pocmloc, Jan 17 2012 I would disagree with [VJW]'s statement that most of the household's heating expenses are at night. Quite the contrary, we heat during the cold days and at night we turn it off and get into a bed with excellent insulation in whatever form. [DIYMatt} has it right - its the getting up to a cold house that is the big issue (bless you!). Then again, wireless thermostats with time clocks are completely baked.-- gnomethang, Jan 17 2012 Those were in Japan too. In traditional hotels, guest used to sleep in drawers of a cupboard, often one above the other.-- VJW, Jan 17 2012 //we heat during the cold days and at night we turn it off and get into a bed with excellent insulation in whatever form//
IMHO that is a rare policy. People normally dont do that. In Canada temperatures fall to -50 degrees at night. I doubt if any one switches off heatin at night in Canada.-- VJW, Jan 17 2012 Again, turning off the heat is unlikely, but programmable thermostats make it very simple to turn it way down. And many people do use those.-- MechE, Jan 17 2012 Some of us who live in very-nearly-Canada still lower the thermostat the old-fashioned way.
Which is to say by turning it down manually, not by bedding the coals under a layer of damp peat and sleeping under a nice warm pile of untanned hides and huge, slavering hunting dogs, as [8th of 7] is about to suggest. I mean, yes, we still do that, but only for the sake of tradition.-- Alterother, Jan 18 2012 // leeping under a nice warm pile of untanned hides and huge, slavering hunting dogs //
That's all very well, but it sounds terribly unhygenic. And what about fleas ? The dogs might catch them ...-- 8th of 7, Jan 18 2012 random, halfbakery