We built a house in Japan, and THIS is how our central heating (& cooling) system works. 🇯🇵

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  • Опубліковано 31 тра 2024
  • My family recently wrapped up construction on our new house here in central Japan. Right from the start of the design process, we decided we wanted to have some kind of central heating system -- something extremely rare in a Japanese home. We explored various options and ended up going with a system called "OM Solar". This system uses smart home design and solar power to circulate heated air around a home to keep it warm and generally regulate the internal temperature, based on the needs of the season. This video goes into the specifics of that system, and also details my experience living in our new home for the past two years. You can also check out the company's website if you're curious, although it helps if you can read Japanese.
    『OMソーラー』について omsolar.jp
    And as for the content of this video:
    0:11 Heating Without Using Energy? An Introduction.
    0:55 Why Japanese homes are so cold.
    1:38 Deciding on a Heating System
    2:31 How our OM Solar central heating system works
    06:20 Insulation
    07:22 Costs for Construction and
    08:56 Monthly Energy Costs (and savings)
    09:53 What's it like living in our house. (4 seasons)
    12:21 Summing up. Was it worth it?

КОМЕНТАРІ • 41

  • @Jordan-inJapan
    @Jordan-inJapan  Місяць тому +5

    My most requested video is finally finished! This one took way longer than expected to finish. Partly because of the content, but also because of some gear issues…specifically, the camera on my phone is getting glitchy (because it’s old) and I ended up having borrow my daughter’s phone to retake a few parts. 😆
    But yeah, I think it’s time to upgrade my gear. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the video, but hopefully the video quality on the NEXT one will be better! 🍻

    • @tohaason
      @tohaason Місяць тому +1

      Very interesting. I and my wife are planning a new house at the moment, or it may be a combination of renovation (one section) and new (the other half - they're kind of separate to start with). I'm also from the "it's always T-shirt warm inside during *very cold* winters" camp, and we're trying to figure out what kind of insulation etc. we can get here. We're also getting older, and even though I got used to 4C in the morning and 14C during the day, with all heat sources blasting (and we don't like aircon, so in the summer.. wow), I don't think that's sustainable.
      In northern Europe it's now pretty standard with ventilation having to run 24/7, by regulation, but combined with heat exchangers, which seems to be a still mostly-foreign concept here (no pun intended). And we don't want gas. We've already changed to all-electric for cooking (induction).

    • @Jordan-inJapan
      @Jordan-inJapan  Місяць тому

      @@tohaason Thanks for the comment, and good luck with the new-house planning! That part is so exciting due to the ‘sense of possibility’. We spent the better part of a year in that stage. Then we had the construction company architect look over (and adjust) our plans and after that left nearly everything up to our carpenters. How hands-on are you planning on being with the construction, btw?

    • @tohaason
      @tohaason Місяць тому +1

      @@Jordan-inJapan [Slightly editet] We're currently trying to figure out how to proceed. We have several options, but we don't yet know the cost or feasibility of each. However, we haven't moved back to Japan yet (though we're here at the moment), and we are still looking at how much of the actual building process we can monitor. But we're definitely going the design-our-dream-house route. Not a standard pre-designed house. On the other hand, not that big one either - we're planning single floor only, stairs aren't what we wish for when we get older.

  • @kylepimentel5316
    @kylepimentel5316 Місяць тому +10

    I am an HVAC technician in the US so this was very interesting to see how modern Japanese homes are heated/cooled. Your family’s house turned out beautiful!

  • @slicklandy7819
    @slicklandy7819 Місяць тому +3

    Very smart, thanks for upload

  • @killroy255
    @killroy255 Місяць тому +1

    Jordan, with how beautiful your house looks I don't think I would be able to choose a warmer version. And this is coming from someone from southern California where it's always t-shirt weather!

  • @kuronekogaijin
    @kuronekogaijin Місяць тому +1

    Great video, thanks.. suscribed..

  • @afizi1213
    @afizi1213 Місяць тому +1

    9:11 woww they price is 2 time more that in malaysia

  • @AndreaArzensek
    @AndreaArzensek Місяць тому +1

    Good information and a really nice house!
    There is only one tip for your sound edit.
    Lower the sound of background music to the bare minimum when you're speaking.
    You have a good voice, so the music is only taking away from your excellently made video.
    I'd suggest no music at all when speaking, but that's up to you.
    Best regards from Croatia 😊

    • @Jordan-inJapan
      @Jordan-inJapan  Місяць тому

      Thanks for the comment, and I do appreciate the advice! 🍻

  • @leonieandrewsart4137
    @leonieandrewsart4137 Місяць тому +2

    Hi Jordan, good to see how the house is going. We've just retrofitted double glazing throughout our house which is definitely making a difference. A bit like Japan, most Australian houses, ours is from the 1970's , weren't built with the idea of keeping them warm in winter, even those, like ours, in the colder parts of the country.

    • @Jordan-inJapan
      @Jordan-inJapan  Місяць тому +1

      Nice! How cold does it get in the winter, where you live?

    • @leonieandrewsart4137
      @leonieandrewsart4137 Місяць тому +1

      @@Jordan-inJapan over winter we are generally below zero down to -5°C overnight and about 12°C during the daytime. This is helped because winter where we are is fairly dry. The sunny days make things bearable. That said our long-term forecast says this winter should be warmer than average.

  • @japanesecraftbeerreviews323
    @japanesecraftbeerreviews323 Місяць тому +1

    Interesting and very thorough explanation of this project.

    • @Jordan-inJapan
      @Jordan-inJapan  Місяць тому

      Thanks! .This one took way too long to make. 😅
      (I think I’ll stick to more fun topics like brew pub visits for a while…)

  • @jamescarver6275
    @jamescarver6275 Місяць тому

    Very interesting, thanks for taking the time to upload this. Greetings from the UK.

  • @danielamador4306
    @danielamador4306 5 днів тому +1

    Interesting. I work for an HVAC NYC firm that reps Hitachi VRF. Isn’t that system popular in Japan? Heat Recovery, water cooled Heat pump?

    • @Jordan-inJapan
      @Jordan-inJapan  4 дні тому +1

      There are some really effective systems available here, but I think the industry is still kind of in its ‘Wild West’ phase, without any kind of standard or even much awareness about what’s available. Since central heating still has an image of being a nonessential luxury, the local market isn’t great and Japanese companies focus on overseas sales.

  • @walkwgod7
    @walkwgod7 Місяць тому +1

    Hey Jordan ... ohisashiburi ^.^
    Nice build there, did some work on my own house today with retrofitting some phone outlets into fiber and ethernet.
    Hope you are well.

    • @Jordan-inJapan
      @Jordan-inJapan  Місяць тому

      Hey, thanks for stopping by! Yeah things are pretty good. What’s it like being back in the states after so many years in Japan?

    • @walkwgod7
      @walkwgod7 Місяць тому +1

      @@Jordan-inJapan a bit of frustration from the first few years back. Trying to get a job that fits is still a good struggle even today after 3 years. Was told too qualified and then not enough experience. Working in IT now and trying to improve. Even that said, I am making more now barely than I did in Japan.
      It was cheaper to BUY a house than to RENT a 1LDK. I am spending time on it to improve it now.
      Looking for the next step up. I have taken 3 computer certifications since being back. CompTIA A+, Net+ and Sec+.
      I think next year will be better though. Hoping for some better interest rates and a better job market with some positions coming open. Well one can hope ....
      Hope things are going good for you!

  • @air7tv
    @air7tv Місяць тому +1

    What happens when the neighbors burn their trash in winter?
    Do you get the stinky smoke in your house?

    • @Jordan-inJapan
      @Jordan-inJapan  Місяць тому +2

      Luckily, none of my immediate neighbors do that. We can sometimes smell smoke from a farm a little further down the road, but it’s not a problem. Oh, but there ARE certain times we can smell manure though, when some of the neighbors are applying fertilizer. We close up the windows in that case. Just the cost of rural living… 😆

  • @afizi1213
    @afizi1213 Місяць тому +1

    in malaysia with 20 and 30 milion yen is same price like expensive malaysia house apartment kondo and banglo that maintain price from 470 thousand ringgit into 2 milion ringgit

    • @Jordan-inJapan
      @Jordan-inJapan  Місяць тому

      I’ve heard that some wealthy Japanese people move to Malaysia for retirement. I guess this is one of the reasons!

    • @afizi1213
      @afizi1213 Місяць тому

      @@Jordan-inJapan yeahh cause they can live like a china people even they have same culture but different

    • @afizi1213
      @afizi1213 Місяць тому +1

      @@Jordan-inJapan 🙃 yaa we hope so many people stay in malaysia have so many race

    • @Jordan-inJapan
      @Jordan-inJapan  Місяць тому

      @@afizi1213I’d love to visit Malaysia someday!

    • @afizi1213
      @afizi1213 Місяць тому +1

      @@Jordan-inJapan thanks 😃

  • @eduardonavarro8959
    @eduardonavarro8959 25 днів тому +1

    Hello mate, I’m planning on moving to Japan on the future for business and studies. Could you tell me or us your process of getting to own land and gating accepted for all permits etc…

    • @Jordan-inJapan
      @Jordan-inJapan  25 днів тому

      The good news is it’s totally doable. There aren’t any laws preventing foreign nationals from owning property, or ‘special taxes’ or anything like that. The less good news is that a. property value doesn’t usually go up here (not good from an investment point of view), b. it’s very hard to get a bank loan unless you have permanent residency status and a stable income,
      and c, the process can be a bit complicated, especially if you aren’t fluent in Japanese and the seller isn’t used to doing things in English. Because of this I recommend going through a major real estate company who you can trust to walk you through the process step by step. I think if you do a quick search on line, you’ll find lots of options in this area. Well, good luck! And here are some useful vocabulary for you, just in case…
      Real estate - 不動産 fudо̄san
      Property - 物件 bukken
      Real estate agent - 不動産業者 fudо̄san gyо̄sha
      Deposit - 保証金 hoshōkin
      Loan for buying a house - 住宅ローン, jūtaku rōn
      Purchase - 購入する kо̄nyū-suru
      Contract - 契約書 keiyaku-sho
      Budget - 予算 yosan

    • @eduardonavarro8959
      @eduardonavarro8959 25 днів тому +1

      @@Jordan-inJapan thanks for the tips mate, really appreciate you taking the time to reply. I’ll look into it and once again thank you! Ps. Thanks for the vocab.

    • @Jordan-inJapan
      @Jordan-inJapan  25 днів тому

      @@eduardonavarro8959 No problem!

  • @kheiramakreloufi6209
    @kheiramakreloufi6209 Місяць тому +1

    How were you able to afford more than 30M yen to build this house? I'm working here for more than one year and my savings are lower than 1M yen. Do you have any tips?

    • @Jordan-inJapan
      @Jordan-inJapan  Місяць тому +1

      Well, my wife and I both work and saved up for about 15 years first…so we could afford a decent deposit. The rest was thanks to a (nearly-zero-interest!) bank loan.😅

    • @kheiramakreloufi6209
      @kheiramakreloufi6209 Місяць тому +1

      @@Jordan-inJapan oh I understand. So you were 2 people gathering the money plus bank loan which I think it could be a big help to cover all the expenses needed. Thank you so much!!

    • @Jordan-inJapan
      @Jordan-inJapan  Місяць тому +1

      @@kheiramakreloufi6209exactly. 👍