Green Technologies: Earth

Although we first thought that "straw bale construction" would be a really interesting way to insulate the building, we found out that like many renewable resources, there are simply trade-offs to be made.  And, between trying to come up with R values (R value measures insulating performance of a wall, ceiling, window, etc.) that would make sense for Alberta and our already abundant glass structure, we've decided against straw bale.  However, for those interested in straw bale, we've noted some links that we found helpful in our research.

Geo Exchange

An area that we initially were not to keen on - but have since become very excited about - is the earth energy called "Geo Exchange" - although most folks know it as "geo-thermal" energy.  A Geo Exchange systems works as follows - because the temperature of the ground in North America is more or less a constant temperature (in colder climates like Canada the temperature ranges between 45 - 55 degrees Fahrenheit) "heat" can be extracted from the ground through the installation of tubing underground in which a fluid is constantly circulated.  As the fluid circulates, the "heat" from the ground is absorbed as the "colder fluid" winds it way through the tubing.  Once the fluid has gone through the tubing, a heat pump extracts the "heat" and sends the colder fluid back through the system to absorb more heat.  We are currently exploring the feasibility of using this technology in the house.  Additionally, we've noted some articles that we found particularly helpful in our research.