Renewables NB

Coastal Inn Dieppe - Solar Hot Water

Hotel also uses compact florescent lightbulbs (CFL) exclusively, replaced air conditioners (A/C) with more efficient heat pumps which help save energy during the shoulder seasons especially.

No regular maintenance required, only the owner monitors the collector fluid temperature on very hot summer days.

This environmentally friendly 4 Green Key Eco Rated hotel is reducing its carbon footprint by providing solar heated hot water.  Solar energy is absorbed by twelve flat plate solar hot water collectors bolted to the roof. The collectors are located on the south-western facing side. During the interview the temperature outside was -4.5° C (23 F). The fluid inside the collectors was 73 ° C (163 F). The fluid used is a food-grade glycol because it will not freeze and crack tubes. Glycol is non-toxic in low doses. In addition, glycol doesn’t physical mix with potable water. Heat from the glycol is transferred to potable water through a heat exchanger. The system has a 20 year. warranty. The owner believes the system will pay for itself before the warranty expires.

Storage Tanks

Solar Hot Water Pump

Solar Hot Water Gauges

Outstanding Energy Efficiency Project – Residential New Construction – EcoPlusHome – Bathurst

Put simply, the EcoPlusHome is the most energy efficient home on record with Efficiency NB’s New Homes Program. The home was built this year in Bathurst through the collaboration and partnership of a number of companies who were brought together by Axel Lerche of marketing firm Tight Lines Production Ltd.

The goal with the EcoPlusHome was to create a smart home environment in which the occupants did not rely on fossil fuels for electricity and heating needs. The home was designed as a complete system which began with site selection and orientation, incorporated supreme energy efficient systems and materials, a sophisticated technology component, as well as a well built modular home.

The project involved 15 partners, all recruited by Lerche to contribute toward the home’s completion. The German company Bosch Thermotechnology combined and integrated a solar thermal system for the home’s hot water needs, photovoltaic panels to generate electricity and a heat recovery ventilation system with a geothermal heat pump to provide heating and cooling for the extreme winter and summer temperatures possible in Bathurst. These systems work together to provide all the energy required for the home’s operation and for its occupants. When this is achieved the home can be referred to as a Net –zero home.

The modular home was built by Maple Leaf Homes with guidance from Efficiency NB and placed on an insulated concrete form (ICF) foundation provided by Bird Stairs of Fredericton. It has very high levels of insulation and air sealing in the walls, attic, basement and floor headers, as well as energy efficient windows and doors.

The project is now complete and will, for the next year, serve as the home to a local Bathurst family. Bryan Kenny, his wife and four children will live in the net-zero home and write about their experience on the website ecoplushome.com.

The EcoPlusHome web site will also offer educational opportunities for consumers actively considering the possibilities of environmental housing. The site acts as one location to ask experts for advice, talk to others about their experiences and learn about the ever-evolving field of environmental construction.

“The goal was not to build a house, but to create a community of consumers wanting to make a difference,” concludes Lerche. “Our goal is to save the planet one house at a time. This is a journey into the future of home construction and everyone is invited to come along.”

Efficiency NB chose the EcoPlusHome as the award recipient for the New Homes category because it achieved an EnerGuide rating of 96, unprecedented in New Brunswick.

Source:  Efficiency NB: http://0101.nccdn.net/1_5/055/38a/15b/project_res_new_ecoplushome_en.pdf

Website:  WWW. ECOPLUSHOME.COM

EcoPlus2010

Boosch Appliances

The best-performing and most impressive system I have seen to date. A model worth going to see. Starting this year, this school will offer a course on renewable energy. Delta Control. Read more…

The best-performing and most impressive system I have seen to date. A model worth going to see. Starting this year, this school will offer a course on renewable energy. Read more…

Peak power for this system is 5 kW. Can run the park’s 8 computers, most of the lights, the two fridges, and many other things. Also, the upcoming projects for this turbine would supply energy for lighting our observation tower and the footbridge that winds through our estuary. Read more…

This LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) office complex has recently been completed and has yet to be evaluated and rated to the LEED standard Specifications. Read more…

This project is exceptional in the long-standing energy efficiency and awareness of this couple (~60 years). Their passive solar home is a converted tobacco shed acquired about 50 years ago.

Super insulation is acquired by using batt insulation and 2 layers of well-sealed P2000 insulated board. Principles of passive solar are incorporated throughout the residence with concrete floors (main storey) and brick interior walls that contribute to the heat retaining materials (thermal mass). Read more…