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 →
Solar Energy is Free
Solar energy – you gotta love it! Here’s why:
1. It’s free. The sun doesn’t send you a monthly bill. Continue reading →
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 →
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 →
New Members of the FamilyYou 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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
Breadboard with original woodburnt design
If you love the look of natural wood and natural earthy colours, woodburning is something you might want to try. The only tool you’ll need is a simple soldering iron and your imagination.
I discovered this idea over 30 years ago and have completed a huge collection of woodburnings on simple objects such as breadboards, designs on furniture pieces and major paintings. It’s a medium that lends itself to so many different objects and styles of work that it’s always fun to do and makes great gifts as well. Continue reading →
