Yurt Questions Answered: The Hot and Cold of it

“How do you heat a yurt?”

“Aren’t they hot in the summer?”

These are some of the most common questions we hear from our customers. It makes sense: the idea of yurt living is new to many people.

Note: all of these tips assume you have our insulation package, an insulated platform and that your yurt is pitched properly.

So, how DO you heat a yurt?

Most yurt dwellers use a wood stove, pellet stove or a propane heater. We also know of customers who have used in-floor radiant heat in a concrete floor, electric heaters and/or mini-splits (heating and a/c units in one). A lot depends upon the size of yurt, your climate, your power/energy source and the type of heat you are comfortable with. In all cases, the key is a reliable, consistent heat source that is sufficient to heat the size of yurt you have. One note: you will need more BTUs to heat a yurt than you would to heat a similarly-sized traditional dwelling.

When summer comes around, you want to stay cool.

In many climates, a yurt in the shade that has a dome lifter, ceiling fan, and plenty of windows for cross ventilation will stay comfortable. We also recommend the use of window awnings on the sunny side of the yurt to shade the windows. The tinted bronze dome is available to reduce the UV rays coming through the top of your yurt, which can also help keep it comfortable.

If you find you need more than mother nature to cool your yurt, there are ways to do so.

Here in the arid west, we use swamp coolers (evaporative coolers). In our 20′ office yurt, we have a floor-standing unit that cools very efficiently.

In parts of the world where humidity is mixed with the heat, a swamp cooler would be miserable. In those climates, a window air conditioner can be fit into a second doorway or a frame similar to those we use for our glass windows. Or there are free standing a/c units available too.

In all cases, heat or cold, we recommend that you upgrade your Colorado Yurt with the insulation package. It is a reflective insulation that bounces your heat back to you in the winter and helps keep heat from coming inside in the summer.

In most climates and situations, insulation with the heating and cooling solutions above, will make your Colorado Yurt a comfortable, live-able space for all four seasons.

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