Sunday, August 08, 2010

Off The Grid

I would like to live off the grid. The present house will not do it, but we are taking steps to upgrade the house in terms of its energy efficiency - new windows, insulation, doors, better toilets, etc. Its expensive and its a lot of work, and it will take a few years, but we already notice the results.

One thing the article revealed that I was not aware of, is recently developed smart drywall that works to keep heat in.

CS Monitor: Green living: Off the grid families pioneer sustainable energy lifestyles
"Passive solar" means a home is designed so that the sun's heat is captured and stored naturally. Windows are placed to maximize sunshine exposure when desired, and thick concrete floors and walls hold heat. Recently developed "smart" windows and drywall even react to the temperature outside by keeping heat out or drawing heat in.


"You need a tight envelope – good insulation, tight windows, everything air-sealed. That goes an awful long way."

2 comments:

Glynn Kalara said...

Air-sealed? Bad idea , unless you have a good way to supply filtered outside fresh air into the same space. Air sealed means living in a very polluted space without this air system. I should know I live in an old house. The only reason it's not too bad is it leaks outside air.

Jim Sande said...

Yes, our house is built in 183x! Very old. I am slowly changing it into a more efficient place, one room at a time, stick by stick as it were. I dont think I will ever air seal this place, but eliminate draftiness, yes.