With the tremendous interest I’ve seen in my solar energy and solar home design posts, I’ve decided that they need a new home of their own – with a name and address that better reflects the subject matter and makes them easier to find. So check out my new website – How to Use Solar – at howtousesolar.com.
All my solar posts have moved there and I will be adding more. I’m also offering a free guide - Top 10 Secrets of Successful Home Design – for all my visitors to How to Use Solar. Check out How to Use Solar and get your free copy.
My other posts will still be available here on the Suncatcher Ink website, but will soon be moving to my new personal webpage.
Thank you for your interest in my articles and let me know what you think of the new site. I would really appreciate your feedback – please leave it in the comments for How to Use Solar.
Posted in: Angie's Off-Grid Journal, Home Design, Our Off-Grid Experimental Home, Renewable Energy Policy and Incentives, Solar & Wind Technology, Solar Power, Wind Power.
Saving Energy with a Kill A Watt Meter
Saving energy, money and the environment is on many people’s wish list. It would be nice if this job could be made quick and simple or, better yet, automated.
With growing awareness of the need for energy efficiency many products have been developed to address this very idea. Continue reading →
Posted in: Green Living, How to Live Green on a Budget.
Tagged: energy efficiency · energy meter · load · load analysis · saving money
Solar Energy is Free
Technological advances have made solar energy an exciting new source of electricity and heat. It’s a source that you can tap into for your home or your business. Here are 10 reasons to use solar energy:
1. It’s free. The sun doesn’t send you a monthly bill. Continue reading →
Posted in: Solar & Wind Technology.
Tagged: home design · passive solar home design · solar electricity · solar energy · solar home design · solar power
Solar Array used for Net Metering
Producing your own solar power is exciting. You now have free power when the sun shines – power that is renewable and environmentally sound. But what do you do at night and on cloudy days? Continue reading →
Posted in: Renewable Energy Policy and Incentives, Solar & Wind Technology, Solar Power, Wind Power.
Tagged: grid-tied solar · net metering · solar energy · solar photovoltaics · solar power · solar pv
Dairy products make a nice light cheese cake
When we lived in a small rural community for a few years we bought fresh milk and cream from one of the local farms. They developed a cheese cake recipe that used their own fresh ingredients instead of cream cheese and, even better, does not require baking. Continue reading →
Posted in: Food.
New Members of the Family
You live Off-Grid, on solar and wind power – and your husband decides he wants to raise chickens. They’ll give us eggs, he says, and weed our big garden for us.
Sounds great – but wait. Could this be a problem? Continue reading →
Posted in: Angie's Off-Grid Journal.
An unusual visitor - a days old fawn
This summer we had an unusual visitor at our family gathering – a little fawn that looked to be only a few days old. My young niece found it, nestled down in the bush in one of our hollows. It had just lain there – quiet, unmoving. Concerned that something might be wrong, she called my husband over to look at it. Not sure what to do with it, he picked it up gently and carried it up to the house. Continue reading →
Posted in: Angie's Off-Grid Journal, Science and Nature.
Sunshine through south windows help heat our home
When I tell people that we live in an off-grid solar home I’m often asked if that keeps our home warm enough. But the solar panels do not heat our home – they only provide electricity. This is a common misconception.
We do use solar heating, but it’s of a different sort. It’s called passive solar design and our south facing windows are one of our primary heat sources. Continue reading →
Posted in: Angie's Off-Grid Journal, Home Design.
Solar Array provides green power for the whole farmyard
“We’ve always wanted to support green energy so as soon as we had the money we wanted to get started right away,” explained the owners of a small dairy farm just north of Saskatoon.
Saskatchewan’s 35% rebate program for renewable power made a grid-tied solar power system an economical and exciting choice for their green energy dollars.
Continue reading →
Posted in: Solar & Wind Technology, Solar Power.
Tagged: grid-tied solar · net metering · rebate program · Saskatchewan · solar · solar energy · solar power
Our experimental off-grid home was designed, the solar and wind power system chosen, and now it was time to put the plan into action. Continue reading →
Posted in: Angie's Off-Grid Journal.
The Owners are moving in to the Gardenview Solar Home
The Gardenview solar home is an example of a passive solar home that fits on a city lot. It was designed by Suncatcher Solar and built in partnership with Jaylin Homes in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Continue reading →
Posted in: Home Design.
Our Wind Turbine in an Oncoming Storm
Living off-grid is an interesting experience. Everything you do – cook lunch, have a shower, watch TV – it’s all powered by the sun or the wind. A pretty cool feeling – most of the time. Let me introduce you to the GOOD, the BAD and the UGLY. Continue reading →
Posted in: Angie's Off-Grid Journal.
Tagged: grid-tied · off-grid · renewable power · solar and wind system · solar power · wind power
