Self-Sufficiency and Style in the Frigid North

Ostrowski’s Alberta Sustainable Home/Office incorporates a whole laundry list of everything one could do to reduce the environmental impact of a home—energy efficiency, water conservation, low-toxic materials, efficient use of resources—and each of these goals is addressed with uncompromising commitment. In addition, Ostrowski uses his demonstration home/office to prove that a house can have character and integrity in the midst of a ticky-tacky suburb.

The house size is 1,820 ft2 (169 m2) with an additional area open to the second floor. The superinsulated envelope, high thermal mass, and heat reclaiming systems allow it to survive Calgary’s 10,000-degree-day (5,500 DD °C) climate by burning only one cord of wood scraps annually in a masonry heater. Ostrowski estimates that this wood produces about 22 million Btus (6,500 kWh) of heat, about 60% of which is delivered to the conditioned space. The masonry heater is also the backup water heater, supplementing the solar collectors in winter.