Can You Take the Heat?

Posted on July 1, 2007
Filed Under Real Estate, Cost of Living, Weather | 9 Comments

The subject of heating has already been covered very competently by several expat bloggers living in Montevideo; see here, here and here for example. So why do I feel the urge to write about this subject again? Because despite all the information available, I think many North Americans and Northern Europeans will still assume that because the Uruguayan winter is milder, there is nothing to worry about. And they may wrongly assume that all homes are heated and they will have the same comfort they are accustomed to back home. This would be a big mistake.

First the good news: if you choose to live in a newer apartment building with good windows and radiant floor heating (central losa), your experience will be similar to what you may be accustomed to in North America for example, i.e. roughly uniform temperature throughout the home. It won’t necessarily be the same, because many buildings only turn on the heating system for part of the day. Even then, you will probably be fairly comfortable due to the high thermal lag of the brick and concrete structures.

On the other hand, if you choose to buy or rent a house, and being cozy and warm in the winter is important to you, you’ll need to do a lot of homework. The main problems you’ll encounter are these:

For three months of the year, the temperature can dip into the low 30’s for a few days at a time. While winter in Uruguay on average is mild by North American and Northern European standards, it is cold enough that without heating life is quite uncomfortable.

Few houses are insulated in Uruguay. Also, brick and cement, the typical construction material used in Uruguay, is a poor insulator. The R-value of a typical brick/cement wall is only 0.8, compared to the 14 or higher typical in walls in the north of North America. This means the conductive heat loss in the average Uruguayan home will be much greater.

Windows and doors on older homes are drafty. The windows are made of wood with single glass pane and with a poor seal all around. Since Uruguay is a windy place in the winter, the draft makes older houses difficult to heat and keep warm.

A large percentage of the houses in Uruguay do not have a central heating system. Because of the cost to install and maintain a central system, most people rely on spot heaters (gas, electrical, fireplaces, stoves, AC splits) to heat just one or two rooms in the coldest days.

Even in houses with central heating, the lack of insulation and the draftiness creates temperature gradients and makes heat distribution uneven. This means, it is unlikely one would be comfortable at home without a heavy sweater or a light jacket. It also means that the cost to heat an old house of equivalent size to an equivalent level of comfort would be MORE expensive than in Minnesota, despite the milder Uruguayan climate.

Houses not only lack insulation, but they are also built without a vapor barrier. When you spot-heat the house (just enough to heat the air around you), the dew point of the air inside becomes higher than the outside air, but the walls will still be cold. The warmer inside air will hold more moisture than the outside air (even though the relative humidity may be lower). This difference in air water vapor content creates a vapor gradient across the wall. With no vapor barrier, it will cause the water vapor to diffuse across the brick, from the inside to the outside. Since the walls are cold, the vapor will condense inside the first centimeters of the wall as soon as it cools enough to reach the dew point. This will eventually create moisture and mildew stains and will be more pronounced in the areas where the walls are coldest and poorly painted. With a good central heating system, if the house is heated more thoroughly and regularly, to the point where the walls are aways warmer than the dew point, the humidity will never condense.

Before buying a house for what appears to be a bargain, it is important to consider the heating factor. If you plan to live in Uruguay year round and if being warm is important to you, you will need to factor in the cost of replacing all windows, doors and installing radiant floor heating AND be prepared to spend maybe a few hundred dollars a month to keep it toasty.

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9 Responses to “Can You Take the Heat?”

urufish on July 1st, 2007 8:08 pm

Another point to consider with a house is ceiling height. Rooms with higher ceilings mean more heat is needed to keep the lower half comfortable.

Maybe Uruguayans are becoming more sensitive to drafts. This year, (subjectively speaking), I see a lot more advertising for window/door strip insulation, ‘burletes’.
Brazzie on July 1st, 2007 8:22 pm

Good point! Tall ceilings are nice in the summer, but expensive in the winter for two reasons: heat rises, as you pointed out; but also the larger surface area of outer wall increases the heat lo$$.
Beatriz on July 2nd, 2007 3:52 pm

I find very interesting all the comments in reference to the advantages and disadvantages of various heating systems. I just would like to say a few things I believe have been overlooked.

First of all, in Uruguay we dress according to how we feel the weather in our skin and the heating system we have at home. If you are within the 30% who can afford a high electricity bill, yes you may have losa or central heating, etc., but for the rest of the population, that is not an option;consequently, only in very exclusive places these type of systems are incorporated. Gas is the main heating source for the majority of the population.

I am in the process of buying an apartment en Montevideo in the area of el Parque Rodó and when I move I won’t even think about buying any electric appliance to generate heat. A gas space heater is what I have in mind. They come with 13 kilos of butane o propane, I am not sure, and the service is delivered wherever you live. This may not be sophisticated or “advanced” but for me that’s the way to go. They have wheels so you can transport them from room to room. You may have more than one and you can warm your bathroom prior to taking a shower or have it on in your bedroom before going to sleep.

In reference to the whole thing about insulating properties, I just will say that I rather see buildings made out of brick or concrete instead of the ones here in the US that can be easily blown by the wind. I can’t believe that there were situations in which entire towns were blown away by tornadoes and when I look at the debris what I see is what I call matchstick roof frames and cardboard walls and I continue wondering why they rebuild using the same materials, the same way, like in the 19 century.

Finally, I remember that when I was in Paris, in a friend’s apartment, there was no central heating, and the same goes for England. I stayed in a home (not hotel) and in my bedroom there was a radiator but I barely felt any heat in the room. Inside the house I had to dressed exactly the same way I dress in winter in Montevideo with two sweaters. After having these experiences I felt that we, Uruguayans, are not so different from the rest of the world after all.
Brazzie on July 2nd, 2007 4:47 pm

Beatriz, thank you for sharing your perspective.

I grew up in southern Brazil and we also used the gas heaters you mentioned. They were the most cost effective solution. Because of the short winter season and cost considerations, central heating is virtually nonexistent there (even though it is almost as cold as MVD).

By the way, brick/concrete construction is not incompatible with insulation, but it is considerably more expensive. For example, I currently live in a 100 year old brick building that was converted to flats. It is all insulated from the inside and is quite comfortable and safe from the winds, but not so sure about tornadoes.

The main point of the article however was to alert foreigners contemplating a move to Uruguay that they might be cold inside their homes. Armed with this information, each person can decide what works best for their budget and preference. Cheers
Ant on July 2nd, 2007 6:45 pm

I’m slowly bringing myself to dress like an Uruguayan. It becomes unbearable when its windy otherwise.

Brazzie, This Central losa that you talk about, how does it work? Does it depend on electricity or does it use a Oil radiator buried in the wall?
Brazzie on July 2nd, 2007 6:55 pm

Hi Ant, I am glad to hear you are managing to keep warm.

Central losa refers to pipes (or heating elements) placed inside the concrete floor. They are usually a hot water system connected to a boiler heated with fuel oil or gas, but it can also be electric.
Pio on July 2nd, 2007 6:56 pm

A 13kg gas bottle at US$14 is now also cheaper than wood, up to US$75 a ton, which one gets sometimes heavily cheated, by delivering less. Here, we heat up to 17-19C now and we dress accordingly…

A liter of diesel = US$1 is consumed per hour for our radiator system, which we considered very important for comfort (on during the day).
Brazzie on July 2nd, 2007 7:13 pm

Thanks Pio for the data. I had read elsewhere that wood is not competitive, not even with electricity.

But it sure feel nice and romantic to have a roaring fire though.
urufish on July 3rd, 2007 8:27 am

In Toronto, we kept the house at a constant 22 or 23 degs in winter. I knew people who kept it a bit lower, 21 degrees. Some people used programmable thermostats to set the temperature back when they weren’t home (everyone at work or school and no budgies in the house), and in the wee hours of the morning.

Here, because we’re more conscious of the costs (lots of cold friends), and because of our experience in the apto, we use programmable thermostats. The first floor is set to heat to 21 degrees 07:00-11:00 and 20:00-23:59, with a minimum set of 19 degrees. The 2nd floor, which is more exposed to the elements, is set to hold 19 degreess 24/7. To date, the first floor has never fallen below 20 degrees. We’ll see if that changes over the next 2 months.

With these temperature settings and heavier clothing than we wore up north, (I wear turtlenecks and a vest around the house by late day), it’s quite comfortable (except when you’re sick). I think this is a good compromise for a northerner.

Can You Take the Heat?

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