Ariesun- A Solar Powered House Richard Perez Using solar energy in our homes is far from new. Native Americans oriented their cliff dwellings to catch the winter's sun thousands of years ago. Over the course of the last few centuries technology has given us the tools to make better use of the sun's energy in our homes. The building described here uses the environment outside to create an efficient and harmonious living space inside. Solar heating, cooling and photovoltaic electricity combine to make this home not only energy efficient and self- sustaining, but also beautiful, comfortable and affordable. Ariesun The first operational building of the Alcyone Light Centre, Ariesun- the "Bioshelter" is nearing completion. Ariesun is a school of ecological studies and is now in use for workshops and residence. Lawrence M. Schechter is the Solar Architect and principal builder of Ariesun, located at about 42¡N. latitude in Hilt, California. The design for this 3,300 square foot building centers on maximum southern exposure and minimum northern exposure. Its south side is open to sunlight, 56 feet wide and three stories tall. The north side is 35 feet wide, one story tall and partially sunken 4 feet into the ground. The very design and orientation of this building make passive solar heating possible. A solar heated greenhouse, south of the living area, provides about 80% of the passive heat for the building. This house was designed to circulate the air heated within the greenhouse throughout the building- without the use of fans or electricity. The system uses the fact that hot air is less dense than cold air to create natural convective air circulation. A fish pond is located outside, south of the greenhouse, and increases the low angle winter solar insolation entering the greenhouse by Å60%. Back up heating is supplied by a woodstove, connected to hot water circulating coils below the tile ground floor. Lawrence's design uses 12 inch thick rammed earth walls to store heat and insulate the ground floor of the building. The second floor walls are 2"X6" frame construction and insulated to R-19 with fiberglass. The roof is heavy timber construction covered with 2 inch polystyrene insulation below cement tiles. The majority of the building's insulated windows face south for solar heating. Operable vents alongside windows provide for cross ventilation and control the greenhouse's impact during the summer. The greenhouse is also equipped with two wind powered turbine vents. In as little as a 4 MPH breeze, these vents can change all the air in the greenhouse in about two minutes. During the summer, the rammed earth walls and tile floors keep the building cool. Windows and vents, located to catch the night's breezes, cool the thermal mass. This keeps the building's interior about 75¡F when outside temperatures approach 100¡F. Active Systems Lawrence's design uses an energy tower on the east side of the building. This tower's south facing roof has a 55¡ slope for operation of solar hot water collectors and photovoltaic panels. All the water heating and electrical equipment are compactly located in this tower. The concentration of the utilities makes for simple, inexpensive interconnection and maintenance. The hot water plan calls for using two 4 by 8 foot solar collectors. This system is augmented by an on-demand type propane fired water heater adjacent to the centralized plumbing. The electrical plan for the building (as yet uncompleted) calls for using four 48 Watt Kyocera PV modules to recharge a deep cycle battery bank of 440 Ampere-hours at 12 VDC. The batteries and Trace PV controller are located in the energy tower directly below the PV panels. This not only reduces wire losses, but makes the system simpler and cheaper to wire. Lawrence's effective solar home design has greatly reduced the need for artificial lighting. This house doesn't have any dark corners. A Trace 2012 inverter will be used to power kitchen appliances, office equipment and general lighting. A back-up 12 VDC lighting system will be powered directly from the 440 A-hr. batteries. This building minimizes its impact on our environment. Concentration of active systems uses less materials and costs less to build. Using solar energy as the prime power input reduces the building's demand on our rapidly diminishing fuel supplies. Ariesun used only one cord of firewood this past winter. The greenhouse provides food as well as heat. The material and building cost of this building are within a few percent of a non solar building that will eventually cost much more to build and operate. The entire building displays an integrated approach to ecologically minded living. The requirements of life are thoughtfully met, with an appreciation of the delicacy and interdependency of nature. There's much more happening at Ariesun than just applied solar energy. I'll let Lawrence tell you in his own wordsÉ A Centre for Ecological Studies- the Alcyone Light Centre Lawrence M. Schechter Living in balance in our world requires a transformation in our treatment of the earth and its ecology. Our technology must be used to serve the balance of nature rather than to destroy it. Appropriate technology may be defined as being: a) sustainableÐ it has a limitless future, b) fair- it involves equitable distribution of resources, c) interdependentÐ it responds to the links of health, work, consumption and the environment, d) nondestructiveÐ it avoids damage to the earth's irreplaceable resources, e) pollution freeÐ it avoids harmful effluents, f) cyclicÐ it recognizes that life is a continuous cycle of exchange, and g) it is based on life-cycle cost to the interdependent systems and lays less stress on the acquisition of material possessions. The Centre for Ecological Studies seeks to teach by example. Starting this summer, the Centre will offer a series of programs regarding integral environmental design based on renewable energy and ecological responsibility. The program includes active solar systems within an integrated environment derived from passive solar design and numerous factors that affect well- being, as well as economy. Schedule of Programs - Summer/Fall 1989 A. SolarÐ Passive and Active Systems Section 1: July 30 (7pm) through August 4 (4pm): Site planning and passive energy building design. Principal Instructor: Lawrence Schechter, Architect. Land Planning: design principles and application, including permaculture, organic gardening, composting, working with Earth's energy currents. Building Design & Construction: general principles of a good plan, configuration for effective functional relationships, spacial amenities, energy efficiency. Construction techniques include owner/builder options, natural, renewable building materials and nontoxic systems. Passive Energy Design: principles and methods of design to maximize passive heating, cooling, daylighting and ventilation, including design exercises and energy calculations. Section 2: August 4 (7pm) through August 6 (4pm): Active Solar Systems. Principal Instructor: Richard Perez. Photovoltaic Systems: sizing, choice of equipment, costs, and life-cycle amortization. Under discussion and hands-on installation will be: PVs, inverters, batteries, appropriate appliances, controls, instrumentation, wiring, troubleshooting and maintenance. Also covered will be PV powered radiotelephone and solar hot water systems. B. Shared Living Community Housing. August 25th (2pm) to August 27th (2pm): Explore organization and housing design. Principal Instructors: Ken Norwood, Architect (Shared Living Resource Center, Berkeley, CA); Lawrence Schechter, Architect. Please send for flyer for more information. C. Energy- Passive & Active Systems. November 6th through 12th. Similar to program A in August, except that handsÐon experience will include aquaculture in a solar greenhouse and solar hot water systems. Location: Alcyone Light Centre, 1965 Hilt Rd., Hornbrook, CA 96044 ¥ 916-475-3310. Tuition: Two day programs: $120 ($180 for couples), Five day programs: $250 ($375 for couples), Seven day programs: $300 ($450 for couples). Board/Lodging: per person, including 3 vegetarian meals daily, $25 per day/dormitory; $15 per day camping or RV. Registration: Please send name(s), address, telephone number and accommodations needed with a deposit of 50% of tuition to assure reservation. Space is limited to the first 20 people. Preference given to 7 day program reservations. Travel directions and assistance with car pooling, plus list of suggested reading material will be sent prior to date of program. Alcyone is accessible by air to Medford, OR or Greyhound to Yreka, CA. Approx. 5 hours drive to Portland or 6.5 hours from San Francisco. If you are interested in being on our mailing list, please indicate. If you would like a brochure on Alcyone's overall objectives as a spiritual/educational foundation, please include $3. Lawrence Schechter: Architect with over 25 years professional experience, over ten years in Solar Architecture. Has designed many distinguished solar buildings in conjunction with sacred geometry and earth energies. Co-founder with his wife, Sylvia, of the Alcyone Light Centre, a nonÐprofit, tax exempt foundation. In addition to his Architectural practice, Environmental Harmonics, he offers consultation and educational programs on Integral Architecture and design. Contact: Lawrence Schechter, 1965 Hilt Road, Hornbrook, CA 96004 or call: 916-475-3310.