Sunny March
March 2008
Viki Mather
Living with solar energy means much more than having solar panels in the yard. As we climb out of the dark days of winter, the sun rises earlier each morning. We gain a couple of minutes each day, and these quickly add up. Add to that the hour of pre-dawn light, and our mornings are now bright every day.
Living with solar energy brings a deeper awareness of the seasons. It influences the way we live and how we design our living space. Big windows on the south side let the sun shine in. Throughout the winter, when the sun is low in the sky, it shines directly into the house. The sun shining in adds a significant amount of heat to our living space. It brings in enough heat so even at 20 below, we hardly need the woodstove to keep us warm.
It is true that these big windows do get cold at night, but they are thermal designed, so the heat loss is not too bad. Once the sun sets, we do have to crank up the woodstove. However, if we decide to take a mid-winter holiday, we can safely leave home for days at a time, and our house will not freeze. The design of the house conserves energy, as well as absorbs energy from the sun.
Each day in March the sun rises earlier each day, and it rises higher in the sky. For another two or three months, the sun will continue to add to the warmth of our living space.
By the time the hot days of June and July arrive, the sun will be too high in the sky to come in through our windows. With the summer sun in mind, our house was designed with large eaves. Add the leaves from the birch tree out front to the eaves on the house, and very little sun comes into the house during the summer. In summer, the temperature outside could be +30, and inside it is naturally +20. Cool!
As these last days of winter fade into the first days of spring, we revel in the light of the sun. With the sun rising around 7 a.m., and setting around 6 p.m., we get 11 full hours of sunlight (on sunny days, of course). Add nearly an hour of dawn light, and an hour of dusk light – and we have more light hours than dark. Yes!
Of course the solar panels in the yard are producing a lot more power these days. We can do more electrical things now than we could two months ago. Just in time for spring cleaning. Oh boy.
Viki Mather is owner of Kukagami Lodge, a northern Ontario wilderness resort at the southern boundary of the Temagami forest. Web: www.kukagamilodge.com, email: lodge@kukagami.infosathse.com Viki has lived in the wilderness for 26 years, without electricity or running water. Read these columns monthly to discover wonderful ways to live in harmony with nature, bring edible wilds into your kitchen, thrive without plugging into the grid, and enjoy a healthier life.
Living with solar energy means much more than having solar panels in the yard. As we climb out of the dark days of winter, the sun rises earlier each morning. We gain a couple of minutes each day, and these quickly add up. Add to that the hour of pre-dawn light, and our mornings are now bright every day.
Living with solar energy brings a deeper awareness of the seasons. It influences the way we live and how we design our living space. Big windows on the south side let the sun shine in. Throughout the winter, when the sun is low in the sky, it shines directly into the house. The sun shining in adds a significant amount of heat to our living space. It brings in enough heat so even at 20 below, we hardly need the woodstove to keep us warm.
It is true that these big windows do get cold at night, but they are thermal designed, so the heat loss is not too bad. Once the sun sets, we do have to crank up the woodstove. However, if we decide to take a mid-winter holiday, we can safely leave home for days at a time, and our house will not freeze. The design of the house conserves energy, as well as absorbs energy from the sun.
Each day in March the sun rises earlier each day, and it rises higher in the sky. For another two or three months, the sun will continue to add to the warmth of our living space.
By the time the hot days of June and July arrive, the sun will be too high in the sky to come in through our windows. With the summer sun in mind, our house was designed with large eaves. Add the leaves from the birch tree out front to the eaves on the house, and very little sun comes into the house during the summer. In summer, the temperature outside could be +30, and inside it is naturally +20. Cool!
As these last days of winter fade into the first days of spring, we revel in the light of the sun. With the sun rising around 7 a.m., and setting around 6 p.m., we get 11 full hours of sunlight (on sunny days, of course). Add nearly an hour of dawn light, and an hour of dusk light – and we have more light hours than dark. Yes!
Of course the solar panels in the yard are producing a lot more power these days. We can do more electrical things now than we could two months ago. Just in time for spring cleaning. Oh boy.
Viki Mather is owner of Kukagami Lodge, a northern Ontario wilderness resort at the southern boundary of the Temagami forest. Web: www.kukagamilodge.com, email: lodge@kukagami.infosathse.com Viki has lived in the wilderness for 26 years, without electricity or running water. Read these columns monthly to discover wonderful ways to live in harmony with nature, bring edible wilds into your kitchen, thrive without plugging into the grid, and enjoy a healthier life.