Lowtech Graph lists low-tech options for every need of a home. Here you can compare them, find tutorials to build them, and link them together into a circular system. Why low-tech?
One of 5 ways to meet this need. Cost, carbon, footprint and rankings are relative to other solutions for the same need, not absolute.
What your site needs
None; nothing is fixed to the building, so a tenant can use it.
Furniture that shelters the person rather than the room: a high-backed chair with a hood, a folding screen behind the seat. It blocks draughts and shields you from cold walls and windows. With a small heater nearby, it keeps the warmth around you, so the room itself can stay cooler.
Build it
No build tutorial recorded yet.
Cost
Low
Upkeep
None
Skill to build
Basic
Lifespan
Furniture, so as long as the joinery and upholstery.
Levels are relative to the other options for this need, not absolute. Fewer dots is lighter.
Insulating furniture (hooded chair, folding screen) (This page) Can I use it? Works in a flat · No rebuilding needed What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Low · Skill to build: Basic · Upkeep: None · Change to daily life: Occasional · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if you want to stay warm where you sit, sheltered from cold walls and draughts.
Hot water bottle Can I use it? Works in a flat · No rebuilding needed What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Low · Skill to build: None · Upkeep: Light · Change to daily life: Daily · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if you want the cheapest warmth there is, for one person, indoors or out.
Electrically heated table (kotatsu) Can I use it? Works in a flat · No rebuilding needed What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Low · Skill to build: Basic · Upkeep: Light · Change to daily life: Daily · Works without the grid: No Choose it if you want to keep everyone warm around one table while the room stays cool.
Solar-powered foot stove (heat cube) Can I use it? Works in a flat · No rebuilding needed What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Medium · Skill to build: Intermediate · Upkeep: Light · Change to daily life: Daily · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if you want evening warmth from the day’s sun, with no fire.
Box-bed with thermal curtain Can I use it? Works in a flat · No rebuilding needed What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Low · Skill to build: Intermediate · Upkeep: None · Change to daily life: Way of living · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if you want to sleep warm, in the dark and quiet, in an unheated bedroom.
We don’t list sizing or quantities, as the yield of each technique depends on the quality of its build. The catalogue compares options but doesn’t dimension them. Regulatory notes are indicative, with a French example, and need to be confirmed locally.