passive solar design and energy efficiency

The most direct environmental impact that any building has is the energy used to heat it. The initial steps in reducing this impact is to use energy efficient construction techniques and to choose an appropriate heat source. Solterre brings extensive experience and expertise to bring long-term value and savings to our client’s projects.

Many people are surprised to know that Nova Scotia boasts one of Canada's best locations for utilizing passive solar energy. As the sun is a free and readily available energy source, Solterre Design strives to use passive solar design techniques wherever possible.

For those wanting to live outside of the established electrical service range, off-grid living is feasible in many applications.  Working with wind, sun and energy-efficient design, buildings occupants can limit their long-term dependence on fossil fuels and offer alternative energy options for producing heat, domestic hot water and electricity.