The Log Cabin Retrofit was once known as the "leakiest home in the islands" with a air change rate of 12 per hour. This means all of the air in the house is brought outside and new air comes in every five minutes! Any heat that is stored up in a house is instantly gone within 5 minutes. Owners Sean and Bob O'Connell knew something had to be done!
A Log Cabin is obviously made up of Logs. However, since logs are usually in a fairly raw state, there is no way to fit them together with an airtight seal. Chinking is a flexible sealant that is used to seal the joints of log homes. You will notice chinking in between the logs of any log cabin. No matter what type of log property you own, it is important to use chinking, a synthetic mortar, to keep the log joints sealed. reducing energy use and keeping warmth inside the buildings thermal envelope.
Not all fireplaces are made equally. Does your fireplace loose most of it's heat through the chimney? Does it only heat up a small area of the house? New fireplace technology allows for the homeowner to direct heat in whichever direction best suites their home, as well as use fans to bring heat out and into a room at a faster rate. Not to mention not using ANY energy asides a Log. Fireplaces are the classic standby for heating. There is definately a romanticism with the classic fireplace and the crackle of logs and the light yellow glow, not to mention that they will still work even when the power doesn't.
When it's cold outside a heat pump extracts this outside heat and transfers it inside. When it's warm outside, it reverses directions and acts like an air conditioner, removing heat from your home. One advantage of a heat pump is that it moves heat instead of generating heat, giving you more energy efficiency. These systems much like the Log Cabin's, can be fit to function in multiple rooms, improving comfort as well as air circulation. Since The Log Cabin has such a high ceiling, the use of ceiling fans were incorporated into the equation to help circulation of air along.