Solar Air Heating at Eagle Mount
Equestrian Arena,
Bozeman, MT
Bringing Appropriate Technology Solutions
to Bozeman and
Southwest Montana
since 2004
mychoiceenergy@gmail.com
PO 562 Bozeman, Montana 59771
This page last updated on: Thursday March 08, 2018
NEW IN 2016: Bozeman Bike Rentals! Affordable,
practical bikes delivered to your door.
www.BozemanBikeRentals.com
This site is an orientation to local energy, focusing on:
Solar Air Heating
> best value solar heating
Electric Bikes & Lawmowers
> Easy ways of getting away from
internal combustion and reducing energy use
Biofuels from Used Vegetable Oil
>
diesel fuel substitute - home heating - power generation
Take a tour of the site - see
what aspects of renewable energy you might like to apply to your life.
There's no need to wait for new technology, a fresh look at daily energy use
can cut your impact in half, creating a better, more efficient (and thereby
less financially costly) way of life for everyone.
Solar Furnaces
Ideal for: Shops / Barns / Arenas / Airplane Hangers
Many northern climates are perfect places for solar applications, southwest
Montana being one off them, with
excellent solar radiation and plenty of heating needs. Our
wall-mounted solar air heaters are the epitome of simple, with no expensive
materials or technology and have a very little embodied energy tied up in the materials
themselves. The heater pulls cool air from the floor space, warms it
by 50-80 degrees inside the panel, then the warm air convects naturally into
the building through the upper vents. As the warm air enters the
building, cool air is naturally drawn into the heater and the cycle
continues.
We have completed six units and are available for consultation on
your project.
The 80'x12' panel shown above provides the bulk of the heat for a riding arena
all winter long - in fact the back up heat is only turned on once or twice a
year
This heater, along with insulation, has enabled winter use of the arena for
the first time that it was built.
More Info including our
video demonstrating the power of solar furnaces.
Nano Houses and Rooms
In
the spring of 2012 we built a 12x16 super efficient multifunctional office.
Built on skids (no foundation) with SIPS, these structures are affordable,
go up fast, and are warm and solid. They make great spare rooms for
use as anything from a guest sleeping room to studios, playrooms, quiet
rooms, or when you just need more space but don't want to add on to your
house.
More Info
Electric Bicycles & Lawnmowers
Including
Bozeman Bike
Rentals and All Electric Lawn Mowing
Service
Here is a favorite & funny blog on
biking vs cars:
http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2013/06/13/bicycling-the-safest-form-of-transportation/
Lowest overhead possible for a mowing operation means cheaper rates, and 98%
less emissions!
We believe
Electric vehicles (EV) are a true solution and there is a page in this web site devoted to them.
Electric assisted bikes are the most efficient means of moving yourself and
quite a load, bar none. At $.003/mile, the electricity used is
negligible, and they are four times more useful than a regular bike.
Cars cannot keep up with these units, even in 35 mph urban zones. They
top out at 25-30 mph and go 15-25 miles between charges. 
EVs go along well with large-scale wind and solar power, as they can be used to store off-peak power as well as for transportation. Having an EV is like having a backup power supply. If you haven't seen the documentary Who Killed The Electric Car then it's time to do so. It's one of the most entertaining documentaries we've seen, in addition to being extremely important.
If you think going electric is expensive, think about the $600/mo you're probably spending on each gas car..... More Info
Used cooking oil
collection, filtration and use as diesel fuel in
vehicles, generators, and home heating boilers (all 3 aspects
successfully demonstrated and used)
Restaurants
across Montana supply used cooking oil which is partyly sold as SVO fuel for
converted diesel vehicles, the remainder is turned into biodiesel for sale
locally at fuel pumps or by bulk purchase. Some biodiesel is produced
locally, some is transported to larger factories and then backhauled to
Bozeman.
The generator project picutred was funded by Northwestern Energy: 15 kw stationary genset
running on SVO with utilization of waste heat (exhaust and engine) in
radiant heat system as well as electricity to power a 48-volt
battery bank with inverter. Electricity generated by internal
combustion is not
allowed to be net-metered in Montana, so battery storage is required.
Thinking about switching to used cooking oil?
More Info on Vegetable Oil Primer Page
This page last updated on: Thursday March 08, 2018
Renewable Energy Integrators