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Energy Crawl 2017 highlights energy efficient homes in Rossland

The Rossland Sustainability Commission held its second-annual Energy Crawl on Saturday.
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Tennille and Kelly St. John’s Mitsubishi ductless heat pump system was also featured on the Energy Crawl. The unit has allowed the couple to cut their winter heating bill by 30 to 40 per cent, though the unit has also allowed them to have air conditioning in the summer, so overall the bill is about the same. Kelly said that the unit works best in an open space. (Chelsea Novak/Rossland News)

The Rossland Sustainability Commission held its second-annual Energy Crawl on Saturday.

The Rossland Public Library acted as Energy Crawl Headquarters, where participants could pick up a map of the stops, calculate their carbon footprint and check out some locally owned electric cars.

The event also featured three different energy efficient homes, two of which use solar.

“We had such incredible interest at our Solar in a Mountain Town workshop that we decided that the focus for our energy crawl this year would be passive and active solar homes. So … two of the featured homes have very strong passive solar features and one of those homes also has two active solar energy systems,” explained Ann Damude, community engagement coordinator for the Sustainability Commission.

Saturday’s snow kept some indoors, but Damude said a number of people had dropped by the library to see the electric cars.

Those who weren’t able to participate can find more information at visionstoaction.ca or the Rossland Sustainability Commission Facebook page.

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Ann Quaterman and Keith Robine (not pictured) built a passive solar straw bale home in 2000. The walls are 21 inches thick with an R-rating of 40 to 50, which means their good at resisting heat flow. Quarterman posed beside her home’s truth window, which shows the straw in the wall. Many straw bale homes include this feature. (Chelsea Novak/Rossland News)
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Jeff Herr, Melissa Ringer and their young son live in a solar home that Herr started constructing with his parents in 2010 and that he finished in 2012. The house uses solar power not only to help offset electricity usage, but also to help heat water used in the in-floor heating system and used through the taps and shower. An important aspect of the house is its small size at 1000 square feet. It also has 12 inch thick walls and triple pane windows. (Chelsea Novak/Rossland News)