Reference materials recommendations...

 


I'm getting serious about retiring to a small off-grid cabin in the next
few years. Can those of you who are off grid and or in small high
efficiency homes provide some recommended reference materials for the
design? I'm thinking ~400 sq. ft. of so, with solar thermal, solar PV
and possibly wind generation. This is for TX, so plenty of sun here, and
probably the need for a very small air conditioner presuming high R
insulation and good thermal mass.

 




What type of reference materials?   Building a system? Having one
installed?

Sandia has lots of useful info. <http://photovoltaics.sandia.gov/>
 

 


Martin Riddle wrote:

Building a super insulated cabin in particular. I have a good handle on
the power system end of things. No having anything installed, 150% DIY.

 



   The first thing that comes to mind is SIP panels.

 Nothing special about this company except they were the first Google hit:
http://www.insulatedbuildingpanels.com/

Vaughn

 



I'd concur, having built with SIPs - DIY. I used the "8 inch" (2x8, so
7-3/8 or so these days) foam core version, which is "overkill"
insulation, but overkill is good for insulation - it also makes the
building very, very strong, as well as laughably easy to heat or cool
(unless you put in too many windows). Hopefully you have people who can
help you for a day or two with the erection (think barn raising, only
more modular, so smaller parts) - otherwise you'll need a crane.

Another, probably more expensive option that might make sense if
tornados are a factor would be the insulated concrete forms, but I get
annoyed that nobody makes one with insulation on the outside and a
removable form on the inside (or some other "not insulating the thermal
mass from the interior space" option) - plus the forms alone cost more
than having my concrete work done (I did contract that out) and then
insulating the outside face only. But I only put in a footing, stemwall
and slab, then SIP on top. Concrete block and foam (then stucco, or
whatever finish siding) on the outside might be more amenable to "150%
DIY" and can be done well if you use bond beams, etc to make it sturdy.

You could also look at the strawbale house option. I did for quite a
while, but straw is not a local commodity, so it becomes expensive
around here. Where it's cheap it can make sense.

Stick to one story - I didn't, and now wish I had. Not likely you're
thinking two at 400 square feet, but...

IMHO, skip the wiring chase - it only added a few bucks per panel from
my SIP supplier, but it's become a mouse haven so I can't really use it
for wiring with any confidence - I'll be foaming it closed and running
wires in actual chases on the surface of the wall - molding with a
function, as it were.

Anywhere you pour a slab that you might ever want to heat, put in
radiant floor heat tubing when you pour the slab.

--
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