Hants County, NS

Half-way between Mt. Uniake & Windsor

Keywords: greenhouse, passive, Roscoe Design, earth sheltered

Size:

2200 sq ft, 3 baths, 2 bedrooms.

Energy Percents:

40% passive, % active, 60% external

External Sources:

Electricity: 11371 KWh, Wood: 2.5 cords,

Cost & Value:

Cost: 220000, Assessed value: 180000

Purpose

To have a sunny, inspiring home with low energy bills.

Economics & Performance

Our min/max thermometer has hit a low of 15 and a high of 25 over the past 3 years., 2.5 cord of wood is all we need to stay cozy., There is backup heating on the air cirulation which is fed from the domestic hot water system, but we have almost never needed to use it., Humidity tends to be high.

Lot Characteristics

Gently south sloping. Wooded, but cleared in front of house. Clay soil.

Description

Heat storage in an activated slab with exterior insulation. Air circulation system moves warm air from the top of the house, down through vents in the slab., Lots of low-e, argon filled windows in front., Bermed into the hill at the North side so that the roof meets the ground.

Installers

Don Roscoe

Comments

In spite of a few small annoyances, it's a wonderful home. If a storm is blowing from the North, we don't even notice it., The design/layout of the rooms is perfect for our lifestyle. The borders between inside/outside are subtle, nature comes right up into our living area., We have had problems with bird kills against the windows. After trying several solutions, the one we have now is working very well. We have broken the reflection that the birds see, by decoratively winding string across the outside of the windows. From the inside it looks artistic, as it is a non-regular pattern. From the outside it is saving the lives of the birds without blocking solar gain.

Viewing

email to Andrew.Harvie@bigfoot.com with phone number

What would we do different?

- double doors on all entries. The single doors are cold!, - finish skylights with cement-board & mortar instead of drywall to avoid mold problems., - in-floor heating with solar panals as a heat source would have been very nice., - The heating coil in the air circulation system was a total waste of money. It feeds from the DHW system. Running at maximum all night long will warm the house by 2deg. Complete waste of energy and money! Two hours of heat from the woodstove is far more effective.