Quote:
Originally Posted by roflwaffle
(insulation on the outside and thermal mass on the inside is best according to MIT.), but at the same time, it should be a whole lot cheaper to frame/insulate/drywall/paint the interior than it will be to frame/insulate/sheath/paint the exterior, but the returns will also be lower because the ground will be warmer than the exterior during the winter, and it's the most ineffective combo of thermal mass/insulation. |
What is "best?"
It looks to me like you have to do an optimization calculation here. There is clearly a Best standard for minimizing energy usage, a best standard for retaining heat in the thermal mass, a best standard for use of your money, a best standard for ease of construction.
If you have a clearly defined objective then the calculation should be easy, for instance, if your prime objective is to take the path which leads to the lowest expense, then insulate the inside, and don't worry about how this results in a marginal decrease in the performance on the other metrics.
If however you are intent on finding the "just right" balance between all of these competing standards, then you're going to have to dig up a lot of info, do a lot of calculations and see if you can find a path to a solution which gives you a bit of everything so that it makes sense to you.
I don't think that anyone here can give you a clear cut answer until we know exactly what you want to achieve.