Warmth
Keeping warm and being able to cook are important things to be able to do. It is a large part of what makes civilisation.
The structures use passive solar design. Considering position of the sun, reflection, insulation, thermal mass and directly including the garden for shade and moisture retention to help maintain comfortable temperatures.
These have gone through a few iterations.
The first modified container was an ex-freezer. This moderated temperatures beautifully in summer and winter but was destroyed in the 2018 fire. This type of foam insulation will be used less due to fire concerns.
One of the more standard natural building techniques is to use thick layers of straw bale sandwiched in most of the cob walls for insulation.
The main buildings are using glasswool insulation which will be wedged between steel and earthbags with a final render of lime to set like limestone.
Solid mud or cob walls will act as thermal mass. Storing heat in an area.
Rocket stove
Rocket stoves are the main form of fuelled warmth.
They are a wood fire with a directed airflow used for warmth and cooking. They use wood very efficiently and make less smoke than a normal open fire.
When the top of the chimney has a drum capturing the output gases from the fire, those output gas can be used to heat a thermal mass, or else output as CO2 feed to garden or algae tanks.
Our rocket stove has gone through many versions and will go through more.
One of the main cooking systems with the LiFePo battery system is induction hotplate cooking. This just runs off the solar and means no need for other fuel. Still limitations with the small solar array but will improve over time.
Gas burners are also used. In time these will be able to be fed with gas from the bio-digester.
A cob pizza oven is planned for the middle of the quarry garden.
Mini rocket stoves can be used for those camping.
There are panels from a commercial solar hot water system but these have not been hooked up yet.
A furnace for glass and ceramics is also planned. Hopefully this will be a wood fueled rocket stove, perhaps with fan assistance. gas or even concentrated solar.
