COMMUNITY MATTERS: Of dragging heels and alternative energy

Now that socialism is back in fashion as a format through which governments can use tax dollars to bail out and rescue the failures of capitalism, it is no stretch to extrapolate such largesse and make alternative energy forms readily available to all. Socialism should not just rescue the rich. After all, examples of governments which promote and support alternative energy forms abound.

On this continent, California has the most stringent certification for “Energy Star”, auto emissions, appliances, water heaters, building codes, recycling and a host of lifestyle strategies that reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. In Germany, home generated electric energy feeds back into the grid at twice the going rate and so pay back is rapid. The Danes have wind farms at sea which provide over 10% of their needs. In Huddersfield England, roof top solar heaters, municipally promoted, provide home and water heating for more than half the year. If our governments were ever to get serious about energy conservation, they don’t have far to look for win-win-win examples.

Oil and natural gas have peaked and some would say are now in decline as cheap and available sources of energy. The other fossil fuel coal, which has also trapped the sun’s energy from past millenia, continues to fire up generators that provide electrical energy but is even more polluting than oil and gas. Clean coal is a myth.

Along with the albedo effects at both poles, the release of methane from permafrost, gas emitting livestock, human activity, deforestation and natural disasters, all combine to put our planet in peril. The science is peer reviewed ad nauseum and unrefuted in reputable quarters, yet governments are in denial, dragging their heels and heads are anchored in sand.

Those who read beyond the shallow pabulum of mass media offerings, want to set an example in order to stop the accelerating erosion of life as we know it and leave something of value to our children and grandchildren as we go. To this end we look at alternatives to the energy sources currently in vogue.

Those who have done the harvesting of low hanging fruit will already use bikes or public transportation when walking is not possible. They will have already changed light bulbs to CFBs or better. Windows will have been changed to low E, argon filled, double or triple glazed types to conserve to the max. Insulation in ceilings and walls will have been beefed up and air transmission through our buildings will have been minimized.

In retro-fitting an existing building there is only so much that can be done to utilize alternative energy forms and cut down on our use of fossil fuels. Some alternatives are cost prohibitive especially for the elderly who do not have enough pay back time left in their lifespan.

Governments at the federal and provincial levels as well as some municipalities, will offer grant aid for retrofits provided certain criteria are met. Government on-line sites such as Conserve Nova Scotia as well as building supply stores, architects, and contractors are aware of such grants and will offer advice. The common test for eligibility is one of air transmission. The theory is that if air transmission through a building is low, the loss of heat energy is low.

All of that is fair enough, but how do we get off oil or gas or coal fired electricity as a source for home heating and running a home’s mechanicals? Most homes have a requirement for heat in the Canadian winter, a domestic hot water supply, and electricity to run lights and appliances.

Ideally we should be making the shell of our home as air tight as possible. By doing so we will reduce the need for home heating. Two modern methods of achieving an air tight home are to build with ICFs (insulated concrete forms) and - or SIPs (structural insulated panels). While both systems will reduce air movement to a minimum, SIPs provide a greater insulative value, and can be installed faster. Unfortunately both systems are manufactured out of province and are expensive to import and install. ICFs are now quite common in NS but SIPs are rare. (Google for more info).

Home heat can be supplied using solar panels, passive solar schemes such as masonry masses in floors and interior walls and south facing windows, wood heat inserts or stoves, or geo-thermally where the constant temperature of the earth is utilized. Some electrical energy can be obtained using photo-electrics or wind power. Both are expensive to install and the pay back is slow.

As all those tactics are readily available on-line, let me expand only on one, geo-thermal. Heat is taken from the earth at about 50*F, at a minimum depth of six feet using a water and anti-freeze mix. The mix is then compressed which causes the temperature to rise over 100 degrees F. This heated water mix is pumped in PEX piping through typically, a concrete floor which in turn heats up and retains heat for a long time. The cooled water is then cycled back out to pick up more heat from the earth.

The piping carrying the water mix can be laid out laterally in a horizontal trench or looped through a deep pond. Another method is to use a water only medium taking from one well and returning it to a second. Those who use geo-thermal heating in a super insulated home, rave about its comfort and freedom from high energy bills.

There is an excellent case to be made for the inclusion of higher alternative energy standards in our building codes. ******

Calum MacKenzie, Middleton, NS. 902 825 6954.

Community Matters is a weekly column that invites readers intimately connected to issues of local import to share their ideas and insights. Questions? Contact editor@annapolisspector.ca ---

During the election campaign we are inviting readers to tell us what they want from the 2009 Elections in 600 words or less. We'll publish all submissions (subject to editing) to our website. The most compelling submissions will be printed in the Community Matters column on the Spectator's editorial page.

Deadline for Week 1 submissions is Monday May 11 at 9 a.m.

Send your submission to editor@annapolisspectator.ca