Green in Medusa

Home Power - Solar

We are currently bidding out the project for construction. Among the things for us to consider in the final cost of the house is how we are going to power it. We think a combination of solar power and wind power is probably best. We have wonderful unobstructed south views which when sunny will provide great sun for Photovoltaics and a solar thermal collector. Upstate NY winters can be grey so there is some concern, however the wind speeds are stroger and much more consistant in the winter so the possiblility for a hybrid system seems viable. We have gotten estimates from several dealers for a 3 to 4.5 Kilowatt system that range anywhere from $30,000 to $40,000 up front money.

The Site Plan

    Our site is a five acre rectangle that is very narrow and very long running NE to SW. It has sloping features that rise as you come in from the road slightly peak then falls as you go towards the back (SW part). It is bounded on the North and SW sides by evergreens which act a a wonderful wind-block when the storms come in from the NW. We have neighbors on the South side and on the North there is a wooded 86 acre site along with a 2000+ acre state forest. We have a 700ft crushed slate drive way that ends in a small circular drive.
   As it is now the house would be tucked slightly into the ground to help insulate it and the tree line would also help keep the strong winter winds from making the house even colder in the winter.  The south facing view is ideal for passive solar heating as well as ideal for photo voltaic power and solar water heating.  In the summer the prevailing winds come from the south slope and are also ideal for cooling the house.

 

 

Solar Design - Passive Solar Heating

One of the main design principles we want to incorporate into our new home is Passive Solar Heating. The idea is that in the winter we will be able to harness the suns energy to heat or help heat our home. We will start by orienting most of the windows in the house and the house itself to the south this way we will have direct gain. Direct gain is radiant heat resulting from sunlight admitted directly to the living spaces through south-facing windows, which warms the interior surfaces (walls, furniture, floors, etc.). For direct gain, the south-facing window area must be sized for the climate, the type of window used and the amount of thermal mass in the home. For thermal mass we plan on having a thick concrete slab that will absorb as much of the heat from the sun as possible. Thermal mass allows saved solar energy to heat the house at night or on cloudy days. The combination increases the performance and energy-saving characteristics of the home, hopefully only for a modest cost increase. We also plan on slightly skewing the shape of the bottom level of this two level house so that the top level will create the the overhangs that are necessary to keep the house from overheating during the summer months when the sun is the highest. In the winter when the sun is the lowest the house will have the most amount of direct gain into the living areas. This along with radiant floor heating, a wood burning stove, highly insulated walls, windows with Low-E coating, and a properly ventilated house to distribute the heat evenly should be sufficient to keep the house warm and cozy in the winter. In the summer ceiling fans and open windows would be enough to keep the house comfortable and cool.

illustrations - North Carolina Solar Center

schematic design

Here’s the sketch Baldomero and Stephenie mentioned…… Their eco-nest in Medusa is important for so many reasons but it is essential for its intent to build responsibly and live sustainably on a (very) tight budget. Green products have been reserved for high-end residences (at least within the realm of custom dwellings)– this attitude must be changed.

Welcome to our Eco-Nest project.

This our first post and its long but we promise to keep them short and interesting in the future.The challenge is to build a modern sustainable home in the Catskill Region of New York for not a whole lot of money.

We purchased a 5 acre property in the Upstate New York town of Medusa in January 2005. The idea being that we would one day build our upstate Eco-Nest to get away from the daily grind of New York City. We would park a camper on it and live on the land on weekends while we studied the seasons, weather patterns and figured out how to build on our site.