Renewables NB

This passive solar, 2500 square foot home is located on a scenic, south facing slope. It is located on five acres of water front property, facing the St. John River and a lake. The home has lots of natural light, with each room receiving direct natural light at some point in the year.

Though it gets too hot in the late summer at times, which is why they have added curtains to some of the south facing windows, they find it very comfortable the rest of the year. They have put their bedroom in the basement, which is comfortable year round. They also have Read more…

Read more…

A testament to the quality and durability of heat pumps. This 20-year old open-loop geothermal heat pump has provided consistent heat without any major problems during its lifetime. Four employees enjoy the warm in-floor radiant (hydronic) heating throughout the heating season. The 3200 ft² (300 m²) floors are heated to 22 °C (72 F) for most of the winter by water from a well, which is heated by surrounding rock beneath the surface, and then circulated through ten in-floor radiant heat loops, and discharged into another well. Although the store doors are opened and closed all day long, which allows for plenty of cold air to enter, the warm floors provide quality heat and comfort. Read more…

Mount Carleton Provincial Park has relied upon propane and diesel fuel to provide power to its facility, as it is too far from the electricity grid. However, in recent years, the price of these fuels has been steadily rising, leading to increasing costs for the park. As a way to simultaneously reduce long-term energy costs and meet environmental sustainability goals, the Park has decided to invest in solar energy. Read more…

South facing passive solar home

This passive solar house is situated in a residential area and blends into the surrounding mixed forest environment being adjacent to a city woodlot.

The high insulation levels of ICF (insulated concrete form) construction, R-30 to R-50, are key to the passive solar heating. The generating element of the passive solar heat is the 2 storey south wall of 80% glass made up of EnergyStar rated high performance windows with triple glazing. Read more…

3.5 kW Raum Energy wind turbine

This is the second such turbine installed in Canada. The turbine is intended to be near zero maintenance by using the latest technologies (gearless, brushless, permanent magnet), so as to be easy to operate. Read more…

This passive solar house is built in an almost rural setting within the town of St. Andrews with a view of Chamcook Harbour and Passamaquoddy Bay on the north and east side. The north to northwest side is sheltered by a grove of softwood trees. The solar face of the house is facing basically true south and is made up of 50% glass. The windows are EnergyStar rated high performance windows with double glazing. The floor surfaces are masonry heat sink absorbing materials, that store heat during the day, and release it during the night. The roof overhang is designed to keep the summer sun and solar heat from entering Read more…

HeronWood Welcome Sign

The owner has a vision of educating as many people as possible on environmental issues specifically to do with energy issues and energy independence. The owner is demonstrating that comfortable carbon neutral off-grid living is possible.

The owner strongly recommends three things before going off-grid:

1) Inform yourself beforehand of all aspects of this lifestyle.

2) Prepare to make lifestyle changes to accommodate the new way of living.

3) Finally make sure to shop around and get quotes from different companies for the equipment and the installations. Read more…