Thursday, December 25, 2008

Winter sunshine

It is not often that the sun shines during the winter months in this part of the world. It does not often snow here, either. So it is a particularly beautiful day today with the sun shining off of the white snow. Nature seems to be rejoicing now that our deep cold spell is ending.

I love the idea of the sun providing all the needed heating requirements in our buildings, but this is much more difficult given the lack of sunshine during the time of the year that requires heating. Such is not a problem in other areas of Canada and the U.S. that have a lot more snow than do we -because these areas also get a lot more sunshine in the winter.

An acquaintance of mine builds Structurally Insulated Panel (SIP) homes. Such buildings are very energy efficient as the walls themselves are essentially made of insulation. His 1000 sq. ft. "Qualicum Series" house has an EnerGuide rating of 89, about as efficient as a home can be. The builder says that the house can be heated for an average cost of $16 a month!

Why I mention this type of construction is that such buildings are so energy efficient it is possible to combine heat storage with a passive solar design and turn off the heater, even in our cloudy climate!

Given that the cost of building a house requiring no artificial heating typically costs only 5-8% more, avoiding future escalating heating bills, adding greater comfort and energy security, one wonders why more people do not opt for this option. The higher mortgage costs would be covered by the energy savings.

All those who are currently suffering from widespread power failures across Canada, freezing in their inefficient homes, may be asking the same question.

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