solar heat for primary heating?

[Mike90250]

Conservation is a fairly widespread topic. Lots of resources. Figure out what is in your existing structure. you may want to have an energy audit/inspection done by your gas or electric utility. Discovering what is insulating your walls, windows and ceiling is the first step.

[Craigwell]

Definitely a fan of the incremental approach - hey, as a homeowner, what else can you do?

I'm adding passive solar air heating as I go.

I have a 12/12 pitch with the ridgeline running north to south. The Eastern pitch is over my kitchen and living room, good places for solar air heat on sunny mornings.

There is an addition on the back of my house, with a 7/12 intersecting roof. I installed a heater on the south facing pitch in November of 2014, with insulated 6" flexible ducting carrying supply and return to my dining room and craft/hobby room (125 sq ft), which tend to get used more in the afternoon.

There is also a south facing wall of course, that will also get a small wall mounted heater.

Bottom line, I'm a licensed Carpenter, with glazing experience, living in Eastern Canada. We are going through what I would consider a Vermont kind of winter. I'm going to build these in my spare time, for next to nothing.

I have a great Country/Lennox woodstove with thermostatic fan in my living room, and also have existing water radiant circuits (once heated by an oil-fired boiler, which now uses an electric boiler). There are four of those zones, all managed by programmable thermostats.

I've burned 4 cord of hardwood from Nov till now (still burning), spent about $1000 or less on Electric heat in the same span, and the solar heater has offset some - but not enough thus far.

My house is 60 years old. 2500 over three floors with a basement tenant, not separately metered. I bought it exactly a year ago. The previous owner did some heavy lifting having modern double glazed windows installed, blown insulation in walls and attic spaces, and 200A service with the electric boiler retrofit as well.

I'm reasonably happy with how tight the house is, with minor improvements on my radar.

My point again, is taking a long view on things, acting as time and conditions permit, can only help. I'll continue to refine the building methods, with particular emphasis on controls - and look to add other green technologies as I go.

I'd love to be off the grid, but expect that will require PV, Batteries, and also some Wind or Water driven generation ( A small river boarders my property) that is yet to come.

Cheers.