Heating and cooling

Heat pumps are still perceived as a new concept to many homeowners in the US and Canada and as they've improved considerably in performance over the years there are many misconceptions about heat pumps needing backup heating. Ecohome investigates. Having a backup heat source that can operate without electricity…

There is little more unnerving that losing heat in our homes during winter. Having a reliable heating system, and even a backup heating system, can help you rest easier at night so if your furnace isn't working, try this. There are a few things that will cause any furnace to either stop running, or only deliver cold…

One of the questions we're often asked is about noisy baseboard heaters. They click, they bang, they tick, tick, tick constantly, and most of all, electric baseboard heaters or hot water heated baseboard heaters keep people awake. So, how to fix that. Noisy baseboard heaters -yeah, it's a thing... Over the years…

Comparing the performance of air source heat pumps and ground source geothermal heat pumps at the Living City Campus Archetype Sustainable House to discover which is the best option. Air Source Heat Pumps, and are Ground Source Heat Pumps "Geothermal?" First let's clear up some confusion on terminology regarding…

Some techniques that will help you reduce your A/C needs, and certainly help you stay cool in the absence of having one.   How to cool a home without AC While it's true that no matter where you live, be it urban, suburban or rural, the hottest days and nights of summer may have you dreaming of coolers climates…

Choosing the best heat pump can be difficult. Heat pumps are poorly understood, they have often been over-sold, poorly installed, and placed where they can be a noise nuisance. But the best heat pumps are a really good choice for heating green homes. How do the best heat pumps work? A heat pump works very…

Natural gas for heating & cooking in homes is so convenient & relatively affordable - so why have governments & local cities across North America & Europe taken the radical decision to phase it out, & when is natural gas going to be banned. So why is natural gas being phased out?   Natural gas is being phased out of…

When building a new home, especially sustainable high-performance eco homes like Passive House or Zero Net Energy in a cold climate, some heat is still necessary. Is the greenest option Electric Heating? Read on to find out. More and more homebuyers are starting to demand energy-efficient new homes and are pushing…

Wood Combustion – How Firewood Burns, the stages and processes, & how to get the best heat for your $ while being eco-friendly. Understanding how firewood burns, the technical details Stage 1: The Evaporation of Moisture – otherwise known as “getting the [email protected] thing going” If you’ve ever tried to burn wet or…

Building our Frost Protected Shallow Foundation slab on grade with Solar radiant floor heating powered by air tubes heated with air solar panels for our demo house - Ingenious! Ideal for boosting Passive House heating in cold climate zones. Why build a frost protected shallow foundation using prefabricated foam…

A comeback for foam radiant floor ICF forms heated with air tubes. Radiant heating systems are very common in concrete floors now because they provide a very balanced and comfortable distribution of heat. Those systems are most commonly hydronic, meaning heated liquid is pumped through tubing in the concrete which…