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
the interior of the house.
On the interior, the space behind the windows, is a full open floor to ceiling area of 3.66 m (12′) high encompassing the living room, and large open entrance area. The solar heated air circulates by natural convection throughout the open space and reaches into the rooms off the solar space.
The high insulation levels of ICF (insulated concrete form) foundation construction, R-35 pre-fabricated Insulwall, Truefoam 18 cm (7″) thick walls, R-55 cellulose in the attic and air tight construction are key to the passive solar heating. The energy efficient design of this house earned the builder, Urban Farmer, the Canadian Home Builders’ Association of New Brunswick’s award for the most energy efficient built home in 2004.
The owners are very satisfied with the solar features and general design of the house as it takes into consideration their present and future needs as access to all necessities are on a single level with no stairs to climb. Other low-carbon footprint features of the house include locally designed and manufactured kitchen cabinets of natural wood, EnergyStar rated appliances, outdoor cloths line, and roof water capture for gardens.
