Episode #3 Heat and a Bit of Cool

Firstly, I would like to point out that we are in a northern clime where heating a place takes way more energy and thought than it does to cool a place. As I mentioned in my last podcast, #2 Power, the best way to keep costs down is not to use it, not to use it as much, that is. The same is true for heat. 1-What we did to minimize heat loss. - All exterior walls along with the roof and the floors are spray foamed. - We like to keep our bedroom cool so the  interior wall separating the bedroom from the living room is spray foamed. - The basement walls are spray foamed. - Minimal windows on the north side of the cottage. - All windows are triple glazed. (3 layers of glass filled with inert gas) - Window frames are vinyl to minimize heat transfer. - Entrances (the sunroom and the mudroom) are designed as airlocks. (you have to open a second door to entre the living area) - First floor bedrooms (they are on north side) act as buffer zones. 2-What we did for heat. - Passive solar heating. (Large windows facing south) - Masonry heater (Most efficient way to burn wood) for when we are there. - In floor radiant heating (Heated by electric boiler) for when we are not there. - Ceiling fans. - 2 solar collectors on then roof that heat a small radiator in back hall. 3-What we did for cool. - The south roof overhang was extended to limit the sun in summer. - Lots windows that open. - Ceiling fans. - And all the stuff we did to keep the heat in also keeps the heat out. 4-What we had to do. - Fresh air exchange unit. (the cottage does not have a traditional furnace) - Fresh air intake for masonry heater. - Kitchen and bathroom vents. 5-How it works. The in floor radiant heater keeps a minimum temperature of+10C when we are not there. In the dead of winter when one first arrives it can be quit chilly esp if the sun is not out. The masonry heater takes a bit of time to come up to temp from cold. Some heat is given off from the doors right away but that only lasts for an hour or two. The heat starts to radiate from the masonry after 12 to 24 hours. But then it just keeps coming. A burn can take from one and a half to two and a half hours depending on the type and size of wood used. After the burn and all the embers have died down the air inlet and flu are closed to keep the heat in. There was one time I had to leave and the fire wasn’t done  yet so I left the flu and air intake open. When I got back the next day it was like there hadn’t been a fire at all. All the heat energy had been wasted by letting it go up the chimney. On really cold days -20C to -30C ( -4F to -22F) or so a fire in the morning and a fire at night is enough. 0C to -10C (32F to 14F) days can be handles with one fire, usually in the evening. If the sun is out, the living room can get quite warm and sometimes even hot. I have been caught several time when I though there wasn’t going to be much sun so I built a fire in the morning, and then the sun comes out. I have had the kitchen at +30C (86F)  inside while outside is -30C (-22F), and have been reduced to t shirts in the evening after the sun goes down. When that happens I try to bank the heat by opening up the inside doors to the back bedrooms, the main bedroom and sometimes the sun room and mudroom. I have been known to open the shower doors to get that extra bit more. The more excess heat I can trap in these areas the warmer the cottage stays. It is rare windows get opened in winter. The air exchange unit provides fresh air while retaining most of the heat. There are little radiators that transfers the heat from the stale air going out to the fresh air coming in. In the summer windows are opened and if there isn’t any wind the ceiling fans certainly make the cottage seem cooler. The fans I have for the living room and the master bedroom have a varying speed mode that does a good job of simulating a natural breeze. There is a hidden feature in the south facing windows. The bottom row has a coating on them that rejects heat energy from the sun. This minimizes heat gain in the summer when the sun is high and they are the only windows the sun hits as the rest are blocked by the roof overhang. The upper two rows of windows have a coating that accepts the heat energy from the sun. In the winter the sun does not get very high at all and at times can penetrate to the very back wall of the cottage. This strategy works great for the winter and the summer. The shoulder seasons can be challenging. Build a fire or not build a fire is the big question. A 12 hour plus lead time really gets you guessing. Yes it can be a bit of a dance sometimes. I pay way more attention to weather forecasts and what’s going out outside the window these days. Follow up to episode #2s cautionary tale. I was up at the cottage for one day this week. Fortunately the replacement grates were delivered the day before I went. I removed the old grate and saw that under the back of the grate, the part that had deformed, appeared to be flat masonry work ie it had been built incorrectly. So I tapped at it to see what size hammer and chisel I would need to open it up. First tap and it all just fell away revealing a sloped surface . I should have know it was done correctly cause the mason that did it was old school, perfectionist, calibre. Talking to the designer he mentioned that ash pack on the sloped brick was common and some have removed the slope and filled it in with a fire brick and cut the grate to fit. For the time being I am just going to keep an eye on it and keep it cleaned out. To that end I have acquired an ash vac in hopes it will make clear out easier. You can visit our website at “ourcountrycottageanarrative.com” for pictures and more info. If you have any comments, questions or if you would like to be added to the “Friends of OCCaN” mailing list, you can email me at [e-mail]. Members on the mailing list will get website and podcast updates as soon as I do :). The Our Country Cottage a Narrative podcast is now on iTunes , Stitcher and  Google Play so you can subscribe there and get the podcast downloaded automatically when they get released. Our next podcast will look at our water system along with some of the chores that have to be tended to. Till next time, have a good one.