Bear Claw Lodge is a beautiful timber frame facility located in a pristine setting on the banks of the Kispiox River. It offers seasonal recreational activities, including fishing in the summer and fall, and heli-skiing in the winter.
It is located in a remote area, making it entirely off-grid with no access to piped natural gas or connected electricity. All data was collected through on-site observation, examination of details in photos of the construction and conversation with the staff. Figure 3-7 provides an image of the exterior of Bear Claw Lodge.
EXISTING CONDITIONS
The building envelope features an insulated concrete slab foundation, with framed walls varying in construction from 2x4 for the great room to greater depths on the half-buried back side. The roof construction is relatively low profile, potentially resulting in a lower insulation level. The windows are double pane glazing, and sliding glass doors are present in the rooms which exit to the outside. Over time, the timber framing has experienced shrinkage and warping, creating cracks and gaps that increase air leakage, particularly around the timber frame penetrations and doors/windows. There is no evidence of a continuous air barrier in the construction photos.
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Energy demands are further increased by features like the commercial kitchen, a gear drying room, a hot tub, and de-icing cables on the roof. The great room, extending over two floors, houses a large fireplace that may contribute to heat loss when not in use. Staff comments indicate significant temperature variability within the facility. A large solar array on the roof is functional but not currently connected to a battery bank.
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Despite the availability of clean hydroelectricity in British Columbia, Bear Claw relies on a diesel-powered generator for electricity and uses propane for hot water and a boiler system providing in-floor heating.
POTENTIAL UPGRADES
Building Envelope
Insulating the slab around the perimeter, where accessible, can prevent heat loss through the exposed edge.
Addressing the lack of a proper air barrier in combination with the timber frame can be challenging. Aerosolizing a particulate in a pressurized structure is a potential solution, and companies like Aerobarrier in Prince George provide this service
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Roofing
During future roof replacement, increasing insulation levels with rigid foam or structurally insulated panels can significantly enhance energy efficiency. This upgrade may also reduce the need for energy-consuming de-icing cables.
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Fireplaces
The fireplaces, when not in use, can be a source of heat loss due to the stack effect. A heating professional should assess the chimney system to implement measures that reduce this heat loss.
Solar Array
Connecting the functional solar array to a battery bank can enhance the lodge's ability to harness and store renewable energy, reducing reliance on the diesel generator.
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Bear Claw Lodge's off-grid status presents complex challenges for increasing energy efficiency, necessitating a detailed analysis for an optimized solution beyond the scope of this study.
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Fireplaces in the Great Room
MECHANICAL SYSTEMS
Bear Claw Lodge incorporates a diverse mix of mechanical appliances for heat production, distribution, and ventilation, including hot water heaters, heat recovery ventilators, and boilers. Since grid-connected energy is not feasible, immediate adoption of heat pump technology is not recommended. Heat pumps, whether air source or geothermal, can be significantly more efficient than electric heat (up to 300% to 400%). However, they increase electricity demand, putting additional strain on diesel generators and raising costs and environmental impact.
Currently, propane is used for heating, considered a cleaner fossil fuel than diesel used in generators. Transitioning to a heat pump may not be advantageous at this point. Bear Claw Lodge is in the planning stages of reintroducing a photovoltaic (PV) solar panel strategy to reduce dependence on diesel generators. Refer to Figure 3-9 below for an image of the existing solar PV system on the lodge's roof.
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Existing Solar PV SystemRoom
Bear Claw Lodge
For the long-term, planning a system capable of supporting heat pump technology is recommended. If a PV system large enough to entirely replace current fossil fuel usage is not feasible, smaller air source heat pumps could be strategically placed, with evaporators located in areas such as guest rooms or the kitchen. The mechanical room, generating waste heat, could host a heat pump water heater to capture and pre-heat water for hot water heaters. Similar configurations may be explored for providing heat to the gear drying room.
Wood-fired boiler technology has improved, with clean-burning units reaching up to 86% burn efficiency. Given the availability of nearby wood, exploring wood-fired boilers, such as the Polar G-Class model, as a replacement for the current propane system is worth consideration.
The hot tub, while attractive, consumes substantial energy. Constructing an outdoor wood-heated hot tub, when feasible, could result in significant energy savings. This aligns with the lodge's goal of sustainability and reducing its environmental impact.