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Passive
Solar architecture
- Good
volume to surface ratio
- with
60% of windows facing South and roof overhang designed
to provide shade in summer and heat through the windows
in winter. Optimal window to surface ratio of 13%.
- roof
designed to accept extra solar collectors or PV panels.
On a sunny winter day averaging minus 5 to 0 degrees
C, the sun alone will warm the house between 2-3 degr.
C = no heating required!
- 23
square metres of solar collectors provide 100% of domestic
hot water requirements on a sunny summer day. Another
9 square meters pre-heat water for the self-contained
units
- R55 insulation in double wall and quality windows (double glazed, low-E, argon filled, with low-conductivity spacers and wood frames) with interior honeycomb blinds help to keep the heat in at night.
At
Aurum Lodge, we monitored the efficiency of
our solar heating (passive and active) and thermal
efficiency during a period of sunny fall weather:
over
a four day period with average outside temperatures of
– 5 degrees Celsius, we managed to maintain a constant
indoor temperature without burning any fossil or other
fuels. For details see Solar
Heating Chart.
PV
panels and wind generator. |
61
PV panels
- with
a capacity of over 6kW, produce 80%
of power used.
- a
400W wind generator was installed to monitor feasibility
of the site for wind power production. As a result of our measurements, the decision was to expand solar, rather than wind, which is more maintenance prone and noisy.
- due
to PV and battery storage, generator running time
is limited to 1.5 hours a day on average –
a 93% reduction in noise, air pollution and use
of fossil fuels!
- See
Power Supply diagram
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 A
2,200 L heat storage tank
- collects
heat from four different heat sources, of which three
use renewable energy (sun or wood).
-
depending on demand, the heat can be used for either
DHW or heating requirements.
- on
a sunny winter day (-10 C), passive solar design, solar
collectors and infloor heating are all that is required
to maintain a constant temperature in the building. Our flat plate solar collectors can produce +45 C water temperatures on a sunny -20 C winter day!
- see
Heat Management Diagram
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 The
contraflow masonry storage heater
- provides
all the heating for the common areas of the lodge with
one or two firings a day in winter.
- It
is the only heating device in use during the shoulder
season and can store heat in excess of 24 hours.
-
A heat coil produces extra hot water for the storage
tank.
Tile
floors are part of the heat storage concept which
includes basement walls and a hollow slab for heat recovery
from exhaust air.
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 On
a cloudy winter day, a 24 kW high efficiency
combination wood range / central heating
- can
produce all the hot water and heating with a few
cu ft of wood (in addition to preparation of meals)
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 A
composting toilet
- collects
and processes greater than 50% of human waste
in the lodge as well as food waste from the kitchen.
-
reduces water use by more than 150 litres a day, saving over 135 kWh of electricity per year (for water supply and treatment).
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A double wall design
- with
offset studs avoids all thermal bridging in the walls
and is filled with 12 inches of recycled cellulose insulation.
- KRONA
reflective foil and spacers increase insulation to R
55 in all walls.
- the
insulation is so good that on a winter day when all
heating sources are turned off, the heat loss in the
building is a mere 2 - 3 C in 24 hours (with an average
temperature differential of 35 C between the inside
and outside).
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Interior
windows
- channel
natural light into the core of the house and
bathrooms, reducing the need for artificial
lighting.
- all
lamps use high efficiency compact fluorescent
or halogen bulbs
- walls are painted white to reduce the need for lighting during the day.
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Among
the first sand filter systems to be installed in Alberta
-
the septic system at Aurum Lodge results in an effluent
better than that of most municipal sewage treatment
plants.
- grey
water treatment is planned but unfortunately, antiquated building codes will not allow us to re-use treated grey water or treat it in an artificial wetland...
- A GFX heat recovery systems recovers part of the heat from waste water.
- most
solid waste is collected and recycled or re-used.
- clients
are encouraged to assist in conservation efforts at
the Lodge.
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Aurum
Lodge gratefully acknowledges financial contributions
by the Canadian Federal Government under the following
Natural Resources Canada / Office for Energy Efficiency
programs for businesses:
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