| What if someone told you that you could use just sun | | | | The Use Of Mechanical And Active Techniques |
| and some specific technologies for heating or cooling | | | | The aim of solar passive cooling and heating is to get |
| your house? The passive solar house concept which | | | | a natural cooling and heating which wouldn't collide with |
| is becoming more and more popular does exactly this. | | | | the use of "active" techniques such as fans or solar |
| Passive solar homes are designed to get their heating | | | | water heating. |
| and cooling needs from the sun, wind, trees, or from | | | | You would have to use them in some cases. |
| the windows and the materials used on the walls and | | | | For example fans are indispensable in hot humid |
| roof of the house and the way they interact with the | | | | climates, where you can't fight humidity through natural |
| environment. In short, as the name implies, you do not | | | | ventilation or other passive principles. |
| need to actively heat the house with these systems. | | | | Most of the passive solar designs are geared towards |
| These systems intend to eliminate the need for boilers, | | | | heating and cooling in cold and temperate and dry |
| heaters and cooling systems. | | | | climates. |
| Technologies in Passive Solar Heating and Cooling | | | | There are, of course, some general principles |
| Passive solar homes use the followings to meet your | | | | applicable in every climate: properly sized overhangs, |
| heating or cooling needs: | | | | principles of thermal and storage mass and |
| - thermal storage or reflectance of the materials used | | | | reflectance, shading through trees but some principles |
| in their walls, floor and roof; | | | | or measures are very specific to some climates. |
| - building's sun exposure (which depends on its shape, | | | | The shading of trees can't be used extensively in cool |
| orientation and layout) | | | | and cold climates. |
| - natural ventilation (which depends on windows, | | | | That strategy should be analyzed with extreme care, |
| windbreaks, orientation) | | | | according to specific micro climes and climate |
| - proper shape and orientation of the house | | | | conditions. |
| - advanced windows, skylights and venting elements | | | | On the other hand, in hot and humid climates you have |
| - appropriate colors (of the walls and roof in order to | | | | to use some particular techniques, that is not used in |
| effectively reflect or absorb light) and specific | | | | cold climates: |
| elements assunrooms,wing walls, trombe walls, water | | | | - orientation of the house to avoid the direct impact of |
| walls, roof ponds, diffusing glazing materials; | | | | sun, instead of the opposite; |
| - other elements dependent on design, architecture and | | | | - extended use of verandas and shade nettings; |
| landscaping. | | | | - intense use of mechanical devices to control humidity, |
| In other words, passive solar homes use a set of | | | | etc. |
| passive solar heating techniques and passive cooling | | | | Each climate determines the final passive solar |
| techniques. | | | | techniques, and your plan should reflect it. Some of the |
| Passive solar techniques are mainly a group of designs | | | | techniques are universal, but others are specific to |
| to implement while you are projecting a new home. | | | | some microclimates and climates zones. |
| It's impossible to apply most of them on existing | | | | Although not the most popular among "green" |
| homes: you can't change the orientation and shape of | | | | technologies, passive solar houses will be more |
| a home, or the materials used in their walls. However, | | | | common in future as researches about them increase |
| depending on the stage of your house (built or to be | | | | and the drawbacks are eliminated to the highest |
| built) you can choose among them to most effectively | | | | possible level. |
| turn your house into a passive solar house. | | | | |