Boyd Solar’s new Shop

Our new shop has been getting a fair amount of attention lately and probably for good reason. What sets this building apart is the fact that there is no back up heat source or secondary heat source that burns any fuel what so ever.  Once built this building will have a Gross Zero footprint, using only energy from the sun to support our working power and keep us warm. The idea from the beginning was to construct a building to showcase what can be done through energy efficiency and renewable energy. This shop will continue to demonstrate that, even in our climate, a building can be totally powered and heated by solar energy.

More Details

The shop will be totally heated by 5 Apricus brand Evacuated Tube Solar collectors and powered by 16 – 130 watt solar modules.

The construction is Logix brand ICF (insulated concrete form) with an additional 3” of Beaver Plastics EPS Type 3 (Expanded Polystyrene) on the outside.

There will be 3” of EPS Type 3 under the slab

There will be 3” of EPS Type 3 under the trusses with about 2’ of blown in insulation above

One section will also have “double bubble” under the EPS

The Styrofoam insulation will minimize convection losses.

One section under the slab will have a “double bubble” reflective foil type of insulation instead of the EPS to see the effectiveness of each.

To minimize winter heat losses into the ground, a dump loop from the solar collector will heat the ground around the perimeter of the shop in the summer and anytime there is excess heat available. A second loop is placed low on the inside of the frost wall to heat the ground under the slab for the same purpose.

Thermostatic probes will be able to monitor the temperatures in the following places

• Inside the building on the wall
• Between the ICF insulation on the inside and the concrete
• Between the concrete and the outside ICF insulation
• Between the ICF insulation and the extra 3” of EPS on the outside
• Outside air
• Close to the footings on the outside of the building
• Close to the footings on the inside
• Under the EPS that is under the slab
• Under the “double bubble” under the slab
• Between the “double bubble” and the slab
• In the slab above the EPS
• In the slab above the “double bubble”
• Just under the ceiling
• Between the “double bubble” and the EPS under the trusses
• Between the EPS and the blown in insulation
• In the Attic space above the insulation

The thermal output of the Apricus collectors will be logged to provide accurate data for this location.

All design, controls and equipment are specified and installed by Boyd Solar corp. of course.

Will it be worth the extra cost and effort?

Especially with renewables, this effort is easily rewarded. Looking at the charts at the bottom shows us that we would need a heating system more than 3 and a half times the size to heat an identically sized building built with conventional construction.

We will use 5 Apricus collectors, a regular building would need 16. That difference would add $60,000 to the heat collection system, increase the complexity of the system and cause a problem of where to put those collectors.

The picture shows the extra 3 inches of insulation over the ICF blocks. The south face of the roof is angled so the collectors and PV panels mount directly.

This heat loss pie chart shows the calculated heat losses as per our MC4 heat loss calculation software for our location. (based on .3 air changes per hour) 8437 BTU heat loss

Now compare this to a conventional building exactly the same size with the same door and window sizes