Passive Solar Home in St. Andrews- PS
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 …
Wood Heating in Letete- BE
The owners have been very low energy and resource consumers since arriving in Canada in 1972. The main wood furnace and heat distribution system was home-made using an existing design and was constructed of recycled and new materials. The small wood heaters are recovered units used for cooking and heating in both the home and business. The kitchen stove firebox was enlarged so it would produce hotter and longer fires. The owners use about 6 cords of split wood annually. Additional energy- and resource-saving features in their home and business include: a greywater system for the garden and orchards, a …
300 W Wind Turbine in Letete- WIND
The owners installed a 300-W Air 403 wind turbine from Southwest Wind Power. The power generated is stored and used through the same batteries and equipment used for the photovoltaic (PV) system. This wind turbine is considered somewhat noisy. Together, the wind turbine and the PV system provide all of the electrical needs for the residence and the business. …
300 W Photovoltaic system in Letete- SE
The 3-panel photovoltaic (PV) array from New England Solar supplies all the electrical needs for 4 people in this off-grid house and the boat building business. Power is stored in 6 Trojan deep-cycle 6 V batteries and includes a 30-A charge controller and 1500-W inverter. The system is now on a second set of batteries since 1991 and went from a set of 4 to 6 batteries. The main concern for the owners is that there are not enough resource people available who know alternative energy systems and equipment and who can help with problems. The owners provide for their total …
Geothermal in Upper Golden Grove- GT
A ground-source heat pump, supplied by Carrier and installed by Ultra Air, replaced an electric furnace in a 280 m2 (3000 sq. ft.). This is a horizontal, open-loop system, with 180 m (591′) of piping, drawing from a well and draining into a pond on the property. The system is quiet, with a small compressor and fan, and is only noticeable when one is in the basement. …
Wood Stove Heating & Hot Water in Bocabec- BE
This house provides excellent examples of energy efficiency implementation. There are no windows on the North side of the house to reduce heat loss. The cold room is on the North side to keep it cool. It has an energy efficient refrigerator. The owners have an on-demand hot water system instead of a hot water tank system. They also have hot water supplied by their stove for back-up. Natural ventilation keeps the house cool in the summer, while passive solar (from a greenhouse and large southern windows) provides most of the heat in the winter. A wood stove provides back-up heating. …
Capturing the Sun in Lincoln- PS
The solar space heating unit comes equipped with a built-in solar electric photovoltaic panel to drive the unit’s circulation. The unit is rated to supply heat for 110 m2 (1200 sq. ft.). The heat generated is presently being blown into the basement area and feels that there should be an additional circulation fan added to the system or that the hot air should be conducted to the upper floor. The solar hot water flat panels have been cost effective for the owner especially with two teenage children in the house who like to take long showers. The owner is quite satisfied with the …
Solar Space Heating in Fredericton- PS
The Cansolair space heating unit, installed by Grün-sol, is mounted on a wall on the exterior of the house. The unit heats air to temperatures of 71 °C (160 °F) and employs a thermostat and fan unit to push the air into the room through a 13 cm (5″) wall vent near the ceiling. The unit is rated for 93 m2 (1000 sq. ft.). This unit is a complement to the existing natural gas boiler heating system. The owners are very happy with the Cansolair systems and plan to install a second unit in the near future. …
400 W Wind Turbine in Fredericton- WIND
An Air X 400 W wind turbine sits high above the roof and could generate as much as 400 W of power, when the wind blows — which it does from late fall to early spring, but not once summer arrives. Essentially, there is no energy to be had from wind at this location during the warmer part of the year. The high trees surrounding the house don’t make things easier, but the owners prefer not to cut them down. …
120 W Photovoltaic system in Fredericton- SE
Four 30 W solar panels, pointing south (1 pm) and south-west (3 pm), catch the noon and afternoon sun and work surprisingly well during sunny summer days. A daily charge of up to 7 A for 6–8 hours keeps 3 deep-cycle spiral-type 12 V batteries (a total of 165 Ah) well-charged and ready for supplying enough energy to a 12 V DC/115 V AC inverter of 1750 W capacity for all the floor lamps in the house, and occasionally the TV in the evening. …
