Open-Sky Co-operative Solar Array- SE
OpenSky’s new building is now net-zero, and will be able to also support the energy uses of their barn and the garden shed where they use other tools with the energy created by the array. Laura Hunter, Executive Director of Open Sky Co-operative, a charity that serves neurodivergent youth, spoke with EOS Eco-Energy about a recently installed a solar array atop Open Sky’s Baker Space building. The new building is now net-zero, and Open Sky will be able to also support the energy uses of their barn and the garden shed and various tools thanks to the energy created by …
The Terra Berma Project – Sustainable Off Grid Living- BE, GT, SE
Along the tip of the Kingston Peninsula, the Terra Berma Project is a sustainable living project that demonstrates off-grid living doesn’t need mean compromising comfort. Constructed over 5 years using primarily using recycled tires and cob (a natural building material made from subsoil, water, some kind of fibrous organic material), the home was built out from the side of a hill using rammed earth techniques. The combination of building materials and lack of exposed walls means that the house is very well insulated. Ceiling insulation comes from a green roof, on the top of the split-story. The hill faces south …
Geothermal and solar power in Middle Sackville- GT, SE
The Open Sky Co-operative in Middle Sackville, N.B., is housed on a 4.5 hectare (11 acre) farm and home dating from the 18th century. Heating an older home can be a challenge, and so the Co-operative undertook renovations to improve energy efficiency and to incorporate geothermal & solar energy on the farm. …
Solar Panels on Roof, Sackville, NB- SE
An R-2000 home! This self-installed solar hot water system (using propylene glycol) provides both domestic hot water and space heating through an in-floor heating system in the garage and house. The owner had originally considered installing oil to provide this heat, however, after looking at installation costs and the ongoing rising cost of oil, solar thermal was considered instead. They are very happy with their choice to go solar. …
Passive Solar in Heath Steele- PS
This is a retirement home on the North West Miramichi that the couple spent decades designing and refining. The building is …
Solar Hot Water at Rodd Moncton Hotel- SE
This large solar hot water collector system is mounted on the Rodd Moncton Hotel roof. Oriented perfectly toward the southern sky, it is an enormous array. However, very little information about the manufacturer and initial installation are available, because it was installed in 1975, when the hotel was built, making it one of the oldest solar hot water installations in the province. The manager has observed that the pipes coming from the collectors were at one time hotter than they currently are. The collectors appear to be worn with some leakages around the panels and the pipes. Hot water collected …
Solar Panels in Perth Andover- SE
The owner wanted to reduce his dependency on grid electricity with a grid tied solar system, he also wanted to build his own tracking system so the photovoltaic system would always be facing the sun. Building the solar tracking system took over a year and a half and hundreds of hours of researching, but saved thousand of dollars in the process. The solar tracker uses sensors and motors to ensure the array is always pointing at the sun, which increases the output. The owner is looking for a heavy duty motor to rotate the array. He is using ten 205 W …
EcoPlusHome in Bathurst- GT, SE
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 …
Solar Hot Water in Dieppe- SE
This environmentally friendly 4 Green Key Eco Rated hotel is reducing the carbon footprint of its 104 rooms by providing solar heated hot water. Hotel occupants enjoy the benefits of using renewable energy from the sun whenever they use hot water. Solar energy is absorbed by twelve flat plate solar hot water collectors (SHW), which are bolted onto the roof. The SHW collectors are located on the south-western facing side, which is the sunniest. During the interview, at 3:00 pm in mid-March, on a clear sunny day, the temperature outside was -4.5° C (23 F). It was cold outside, but …
Geothermal, Solar Air, & Hot Water in Midgic- GT, SE
The benefits of installing renewable energy have always made sense to the owners of this home. The family of four has installed three different systems, and see renewable energy technology as a great way to save money. Having a large home, they reduce their electrical bills by harnessing renewable heat from the sun and earth. They would have also installed a wind turbine, except they would have needed two, and the cost was too high, so they decided to wait and see how their friend’s turbine worked. By the time they saw how well it worked, the demand and price …
