Thermoelectrics

Reblogging:

"I was listening to the local radio this afternoon, and a scientist named Tim Sands was talking about thermoelectricity at a recent nanotechnology conference here in New Zealand. Tim was suggesting that the motor car industry might like to review the old technology and see what can be achieved with modern materials and perspectives.Link
"He explained thermoelectrics as electric charges made from simple changes in temperature. Although it is a very inefficient for of power, it could be used where there is ambient temperature changes or waste heat being generated. It is used most of all in space craft where the lessor the moving parts the better for the long deep space voyages.

"I am thinking it could be used in households where there is waste heat and temperature variations. First ideas are that it could be used to circulate air with light weight fans - such as the fan needed in a waterless toilet.

"Here is a video linking to more information and other videos on Youtube:


--From 100summerville a blog about a permaculture house in New Zealand

capturing heat from grey water

We've considered using compost to heat water, but what about using our hot grey water to heat our fresh water right in the pipes?

This Ecodrain product uses hot water going down the drain to heat water for your shower, so the water heater has to do less work. A more basic version of this has been used in many buildings, which involves wrapping the copper pipe holding fresh cold water around the drainage pipe, trying to capture some of that used hot shower water's heat.
This company created their product to more efficiently capture and redirect that heat. Their website is very thorough and informative, so please check it out for more information on specifics.

http://www.ecodrain.ca/

In the house system we could very easily connect the hot water from the compost where the water heater is in this diagram, and fresh water collection/filtration where the 'municipal supply' is indicated.
If you are bathing Japanese style like Rachel this may not be necessary, but it's a very cool idea for showering.

Entryway?

Does the main doorway have to be on one of the ends of a house?
If we used the broad side of the house we'd be able to have wider doors, perhaps sliding doors, which might help break down the division between inside and out. It would be especially nice during warm weather.

This might have detrimental effects on heat conservation though...

More infos!

more photos from will pederson's building of a tumbleweed tiny home here.

Zack and I are sitting around right now chatting about alternative energy sources and passive solar heating. We've been discussing different ideas for heating systems that work to both heat the house and produce hot water- things like a system which works off a tiny fireplace, channels the heat and carbon through the water heater, then into an algae container to process the carbon.

I've also thought about doing a composter that takes advantage of solar heat to reach high temperatures, then passing the water through a coil inside the composter and then though the rest of the house. That way, you get hot water and heat for the house, as well as a way of processing organic waste.