La Casa - La Casa - The House
La Casa / The House
La casa:
El Maset, de més de 50 anys d’antiguitat, té parets de pedra d’un metro de gruix que protegeixen l’interior dels canvis de temperatura. Finestres i balconeres grans a la cara sud permeten que el sol d’hivern escalfi el seu interior durant el dia. Els arbres cadufolis davant de la casa (Melia) protegeixen la cara sud de la casa del sol d’estiu. No n´hi ha cap finestra a la cara nord per evitar l’entrada del fred i el vent hivernal. Les 5 claraboies en la teulada eliminen la necessitat d’obrir la llum durant el dia per poder pujar l’escala, caminar pel passadís o estar en el lavabo sense finestra.
L’energia elèctrica proveí de plaques solars foltovoltaiques i un generador eòlic que alimenten unes bateries grans de 12 volts. Uns reguladors controlen la carrega de les bateries per tal d’evitar sobrecarregues o sobreutilitzacions. Un convertidor converteix l’energia de 12 volts de les bateries a 220 volts que s’utilitza en la casa. L’aigua proveí d’un manatial propi accionat per un molí de vent.
Es fa servir sempre bombetes de baix consum i electrodomèstics d’eficiència energètica. També es fa servir una radio portàtil solar, una linterna solar i un carregador de piles solar.
La construcció nova té aïllant tèrmic a terra i a les parets i al sostre per tal d’evitar canvis de temperatura interior. Les aigües grisos (dels lavabos, dutxes, rentadora i la pica de la cuina) es dirigeixen cap als arbres alcoxats per tal de regar-los. En el futur es construirà una sèrie de basses per tal de depurar més l’aigua, separant la matèria orgànica del aigua per poder fer-lo servir per regar el hort i pels ànecs.
The house:
The “Maset”, more than 50 years old, has 1 meter wide stone walls that protect the interior of the house from external temperature changes. Windows and glass balcony doors on the southern exposure allow the sun to penetrate in the winter and heat the interior during the day. The deciduous trees in front of the house (Melias – Hawthorn) protect the southern side of the house from the sun in the summer and provide a shade-covered patio (a great place to relax). There are no windows on the north side to avoid cold air penetrating in the winter. The 5 roof windows eliminate the need to use electric lights during daylight hours and are strategically placed over the stairway, hallway and interior bathroom.
Electrical Energy:
Energy is derived from the sun via solar panels and from the wind via a windmill and is stored in a 12 volt battery bank. Regulators control the amount of charge accumulated to avoid overcharging the batteries. A converter converts the 12 volts from the batteries into 220 volts for use in the house. We use energy-efficient light bulbs and appliances and always wash clothes in cold water. We have a solar battery charger to recharge the batteries used in clocks, alarm clocks and other appliances. We have several wind-up clocks that supply their own energy.
Heating:
The heating in both the Maset and the addition is supplied via floor heating which runs during the afternoon using the sun’s energy to heat the rooms and the insulation retains the heat into the night.
Water:
Water is drawn from the well via a windmill and fills a deposit for the house and a large pool for irrigation. The pool can also be used for swimming.
The addition:
The addition has insulation on the walls, floor and ceiling to protect the interior from exterior temperature changes. The greywater (from the sinks, showers, and washing machine) is used to water fruit trees that have been mulched to absorb any soap or organic matter. In the future we will build a series of pools to further purify the greywater so it can be used to water the vegetable garden and for the ducks (who eat snails, our main plague) to swim in.