Hants County, NS
Scotch Village
Keywords: passive
Self designed fully accessable retirement home for two and guests. 3rd bedroom is configured as a den.
On the coldest day of the year, the temperature drops to 18~C overnight, slab holds approximately 1 day of heat. In summer, is 10~C cooler than outdoors.
Gentle north slope. Lots of surface runnoff.
Conventionally constructed house with earth berming on north & east, angled garage sheltering house from prevailing west wind. Modest south overhangs, perhaps 16", allow no high summer direct gain. Concrete block Trombe wall behind woodstove allows it to back onto wall, and stores heat. Bright bedrooms, light on two sides. Lumber cut and milled on site.
Drilled wells yield salt water; a 4000 gallon crock and rock cistern supplies water.
Activated concrete slab with 520' of 4" air duct in floor, 54 yds of concrete. Attached garage, 600 sq. ft. Dryer exhausts through floor. Mechanical space about 2' x 5' encloses duct, blower, electrostaic filter, hot air furnace using a coil from the electric water heater for backup heat, not hooked up yet.
5kw Coleman gas generator. Plans: active hydronic solar DHW and space heating.
Airlock / mud room on front door. A refrigerator upgrade yielded 50$/month electricity savings. "Great room" faces 15~ East of south. If owner was doing it again he'd have it face due S or 5~ West of S.
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