Monday night Wellfleet has a chance to do a sensible thing, vote for article 38 on the town meeting warrant, the Stretch Code. It speeds up the pace at which the building code is moving toward making houses more energy efficient.
There has been an exemplary effort to Solarize Wellfleet, spearheaded by the Wellfleet Energy Committee and our local Audubon branch. So far it’s consisted mostly of getting high tech photovoltaic panels on as many local roofs as possible to reduce fossil-fuel generated electric use as well as our electric bills. The Stretch Code is a chance to emphasize the “passive solar” approach : designing and constructing (or retrofitting) a house to reduce the use of fossil fuels for heating (and the cost to the homeowner).
The gist of passive solar: site with optimal orientation to the sun, locate rooms and windows for optimal use of solar gain. Use high efficiency windows. Beef up the framing of walls and roof and stuff with insulation. Seal leaks.
The cost of a house goes up (marginally) with the thicker walls, increased insulation, and better windows, but many passive solar design strategies need not cost more.
Such measures can reduce the heat need of the house to a fraction of that of a traditional house. There are stories of “super-insulated” houses heated by the body heat of the occupants, and their appliances.
A properly designed greenhouse is a great passive solar strategy and charming adornment to life at the same time.
To those of us– virtually everyone–who grew up in a box with little insulation, random orientation to the sun, and a big furnace in the cellar designed to use cheap oil of another era, passive solar comes as a revelation of commonsense.
High tech on the roof is great, but passive solar design is an essential part of solarizing our housing. Article 38 is a first step.
No Comments