Drayton Valley will have a stop on this year’s Edmonton Eco Solar Home Tour Saturday June 4.
The Eco-Solar Tour Society of Alberta organizes free open house style tours of homes and businesses that display practical and timely examples of sustainability including: renewable energy, energy security, energy efficiency, water efficiency, low emission technologies and natural landscaping.
The Drayton Valley home, located at 4556 44 Avenue, is the work of Keith Warren. Warren developed a method to use straw bales wrapped around a home for increased insulation. The bales provide an R40 insulating value, sound proofing and significant fire protection.
“It turns out that combustion air cannot flow through the straw bales, so they are actually quite fire resistant,” says Warren.
Warren completed a retrofit on the home, an early 1960s bungalow, in 2010. He developed a patented process that ensures the straw stays dry and in perfect condition. It’s a system that could be used on any home that meets a few basic requirements.
“The straw wrap can be done to any building that has a sound foundation and its roof has been maintained so there is no water damage in the structural walls,” says Warren.
Once complete, there is little outside sign that the home has been straw wrapped, although the building will appear to be a little larger since the wrapping is placed outside the existing walls.
The Drayton Valley bungalow also features a number of energy-saving components, including a solar system, that allow it to function at close to net zero energy. Warren says the home was designed to demonstrate the potential for rejuvenation of communities without demolition, bringing older homes up to modern energy efficient standards.
Warren has had an interest in energy-efficient buildings since he apprenticed for his carpentry ticket from 1979-1981. He later became concerned about the greenhouse gas emissions involved in the manufacture and transportation of traditional insulating materials. That led him to look at straw, which naturally sequesters greenhouse gasses rather than contributing to the problem. He says he felt it was important to take part in the Eco-Solar Home Tour since it allows the public to see what is available in sustainable and energy efficient design for themselves.
“Energy conservation is the key to permanently reduce greenhouse gas emissions and our living costs,” he says.
The Drayton Valley home is one of 14 on the Edmonton tour. It’s open for public viewing between 10 am and 4 p.m. Saturday June 4.
