EcoWorldly

Former Canadian municipal councilor David Braden, has built himself a completely energy efficient, off the grid, and furnace-free (!) home using current building techniques.

According to Braden

I don’t want to be conveyed as a hippie. I want to get the message to the mainstream. People need to know that in fact there is a great solution sitting right in front of us.

At the heart of the house’s ability to be energy efficient and furnace free, is its design: using a combination of south-facing windows and extensive insulation, heat loss is near-negligible due to the design being almost airtight.

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The key to ensuring that the house is airtight is the placement of the vapour barrier. Rather than installing it by the drywall, and thus ensuring that multiple screws and fuseboxes perforate it, he placed it on the inside of the inner walls. In order to avoid sick-home syndrome, Braden has installed an air exchanger, which he has justified thanks to saving the costs on buying a furnace!

Other features of his home include:

• A roof overhang that shades the south-facing side, keeping the house from overheating in summer while allowing winter sunlight in.
• Using a ratio formula, windows on the south face are roughly equivalent to 8 per cent of interior floor space.
• A heat-recovery air exchanger that allows for fresh air to enter the house while preventing heat loss to the outdoors.
• Home electricity is generated by a wind turbine and solar panels
• Excess electricity generated is diverted to ceramic pads in the basement

Image Credit: home heat loss by thingermejig via Flickr’s Creative Commons

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