Heating and cooling
This module takes you from a heating and cooling load estimate to working systems for space heating, cooling, ventilation, hot water, cooking and refrigeration, all sized to run without utility connections. It puts passive measures first, then shows how to pick and size wood, pellet, solar thermal and heat pump equipment so it fits your fuel supply and your solar power system.
Why it matters
Heating, cooling and hot water are usually the largest energy users in a home, so they set the size and cost of your solar array, battery bank and woodlot. Combustion appliances are also the main source of carbon monoxide and house fire risk on an off-grid estate. Getting loads, ventilation and flue safety right early saves money on every other system and keeps the household safe.
Measure your heating and cooling needs (Plan)
- Set comfort targets and find your design temperatures thermal-1
- Calculate the heating load thermal-2
- Estimate cooling needs and your passive cooling potential thermal-3
- Build a thermal energy budget and hand it to the power design thermal-4
Choose and design your heating (Design)
- Pick a primary and a backup heat source thermal-5
- Select and size a certified wood stove thermal-6
- Install the stove, hearth and chimney to code thermal-7
- Consider a masonry heater or rocket mass heater thermal-8
- Evaluate pellet stoves and boilers thermal-9
- Size heat pumps to the load and to your solar system thermal-10
- Plan solar thermal space heating, propane or biogas thermal-11
Cool the house, passive first (Design)
- Shade windows and walls before anything else thermal-12
- Use night flushing and cross ventilation thermal-13
- Use evaporative cooling only in dry climates thermal-14
- Treat earth tubes with caution thermal-15
- Add efficient inverter cooling matched to solar thermal-16
Ventilation and indoor air quality (Design)
- Choose a whole-house ventilation system thermal-17
- Fit CO alarms and smoke alarms, and monitor CO2 thermal-18
- Test for radon where relevant thermal-19
Hot water, cooking and refrigeration (Install)
- Size your daily hot water energy thermal-20
- Choose a solar water heater and protect it from freezing thermal-21
- Add a heat pump water heater or wood stove wetback as backup thermal-22
- Control legionella and scalding thermal-23
- Plan cooking energy thermal-24
- Set up refrigeration and cold storage thermal-25
Commission and run through the seasons (Test)
- Commission every system before you rely on it thermal-26
- Run the seasonal changeover routine thermal-27