180W Photovoltaic on Off-Grid House in Kingston Peninsula- BE, SE
The owner started constructing his off-grid home on a 8.1 hectares (20-acre) woodlot in 1996–97. He strove to have as low an impact as possible for the construction, and did this through a number of ways: all wood was milled on site from local sources, recycled materials were used whenever possible (such as old doors), he uses a composting toilet so as to reduce the use of water. He supplies all of his own firewood from the woodlot. The small PV system, twelve 15 W solar panels, for a total of 180 W, powers lights, a water pump, a few appliances, and other …
2.1 kW Photovoltaic system & 31.6 kW Geothermal in Riverview- SE, GT
Owner feels strongly that electricians need to be more aware of how to install solar panels and other alternative technologies. Solar panels are net metered. When he first moved, geothermal was working full tilt but it wasn’t very efficient because the house wasn’t finished i.e. the insulation was not put in yet. Too early to see if there was any reduction in his electrical bills. …
Off Grid Carbon Neutral Living at Interpretative Centre in Heron Wood- BE, PS, SE
The Laforge Holstein plant is a biomass system set on 400 hectares (1000 acres) of land that uses organic materials such as potato peels, fries, pizza dough and tomato sauce, mixed with manure and chicken grease residue for biodigestion (anaerobic decomposition). The system has 2 mixing tanks that hold the organic material: tank 1 is used as an energy source and tank 2 is used as a protein source. These tanks are linked to the biodigester using a regular feeding schedule run by a computer program that is linked to all the machinery. The ideal pumping ratio of organic material or feed …
Solar Hot Water in Sackville- SE
The owners have a passive solar home that is equipped with solar hot water panels. The main purpose for the home and the panels is to help the environment and become less dependent on fossil fuels. The system is a solar hot water pre-heating system. Two 4 x 8-foot solar panels (by Thermodynamics) are installed on the garage roof, facing south. Supply lines run to the heat exchange unit, which is attached to an additional 60 gallon water tank set up in tandem with a regular electrically-heated 60 gallon tank. The owners like the system they have been using and …
3.6 t (4 ton) Geothermal in Sackville- GT
The owners installed a 3.6 t (4-ton) geothermal heating and cooling system. The system serves to heat, cool and de-humidify the home. It also preheats the hot water for the home. The owners of this home are pleased with their system, and are projecting they will recover their costs in less than 11 years. The system is a horizontal, closed-loop system that requires about 600 m (2000′) of underground pipes placed in about 150 m (500′) of trenching. The system was installed in 5 days by ROSS Refrigeration Ltd. The owners suggest that people exploring geothermal should pay close attention to all aspects of …
Geothermal in Sackville- GT
The geothermal system was installed in 2007 by ROSS Refrigeration. The house is large and relatively old (ca. 1820). The system is adequate for the home and is able to take care of almost all of the heating. There is a 3000 watt back-up electric element that runs only when the geothermal system is unable to cover all the heating. The system will also cool and de-humidify the home along with pre-heating the hot water for the home. Before installation, the house required two oil tanks and two oil furnaces for heating. This was very expensive; the owners are expecting …
Solar Hot Water and Solar Hot Air in Sackville- SE
The owner has chosen to use a combination of systems to help lower electricity payments and test renewable energy. The systems include solar hot air space heating (Cansolair), and solar hot water heating (Thermodynamics). electricity generation from a wind turbine …
3.5 kW Wind Turbine in Sackville- WIND
The owner has chosen to use a combined set up of different systems to help lower her electricity costs and test renewable energy. The system includes: electricity generation from the wind turbine, solar hot air space heating, and solar hot water heating. …
VISION Home in Moncton- GT, PS, SE
The EQuilibrium project is a national sustainable housing demonstration initiative, created and led by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. One of the winning entries for the Sustainable Housing Demonstration Initiative is the VISION home located in Moncton. …
Off-grid Home in Jolicure- BE, SE, WIND
At the moment the home is powered by a small photovoltaic solar system which is sufficient for his home, however he has had to make some lifestyle changes. The owner monitors the amount of power being used, and can only use a laptop computer for a certain amount of time as to not drain its batteries. He uses a refrigerator in the summer when there is lots of solar energy, and uses a naturally cooled room in the winter. The system includes three 123 W Sharp PV solar panels mounted on an outbuilding. He has a small 400 W Air X Wind turbine …
