Our goal is to keep the Active Area comfortable (68 – 75 degrees year round) and heat the bathrooms for daily showers, when necessary. We will allow temperatures in the rest of the house to dip significantly when resources are not available, thought I doubt if any room will ever dip to as low as 55 degrees. We also want to minimize wood burning.

To accomplish this, we will employ different strategies throughout the annual heating and cooling cycle. Initially these strategies will be semi automated – i.e. we will adjust simple thermostats and differential switches and open and close a few valves and ducts. I believe this effort, admittedly a little more than changing your central system between heating and cooling modes, is acceptable. Later, I hope, to refine and automate most of this process.

Here are the stages our house will move through:

Stage 1: Summer Roughly throughout June, July and August (Note) – Maintain heat for ample solar domestic hot water. Kids, if you want an extra long or hot shower, take it now… And utilize various strategies to keep the house comfortably cool.

Stage 2: Early Fall September and October – Charge the Solar Battery, while maintaining heat for sufficient hot water. No active heating necessary.

Stage 3: Late Fall November and December – Utilize passive solar gains, active solar heat distribution, and the stored heat from the Solar Battery as long as possible to maintain comfortable interior temperatures.

Stage 4: Winter January, February and March – Provide heat to the Active Area on shorter cycles, use the wood stove when needed, and continue to charge the Solar Battery whenever possible to maintain a base level of home heat.

Stage 5: Spring April and May – Continue short term heating cycle but with lower limits and stop putting excess heat into the Solar Battery.

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