Passive Solar Design

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Passive Solar Design

• Designing a building to work with the sun

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• There is a type of solar energy that uses no
  equipment at all. This is called Passive Solar,
  and it uses the basic structural elements of a
  building, careful site selection and home
  planning, and various homebuilding strategies to
  keep buildings comfortable at very low energy
  cost. It also incorporates energy-efficiency
  features.

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The principles of passive solar are nothing new.
More than 2500 years ago in ancient Greece,
entire cities were built to take advantage of the
sun and the climate. Buildings were designed to
take advantage of daylighting, ventilation and
other good design practices.
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In the U.S., drawings and photographs of the
cliff dwellings of the American Indians and the
sod homes of the early pioneers show the
popularity and the necessity of building
homes to respond to the environment.
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Passive solar designs include open areas with
walls that absorb heat during the day and release
it at night into the home in winter and out of
the home in summer.
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Large windows take advantage of the winter sun,
but blinds and drapes keep the home cooler in
summer. Windows let daylight in, and operable
windows let the occupants control the flow of
natural ventilation.
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Sunspaces give homeowners bright
greenhouse-style rooms that are very comfortable
in cold weather.
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• A home in a crowded hutong in the narrow
  alleyways of Beijing has little furniture or
  amenities - but it does have a compact
  fluorescent energy-efficient light in the ceiling.

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Discussion Questions

• What passive design features would you put into
  homes in your community?
• What active solar features would work best with
  an overall passive home design?
• How could passive design features make your
  school more energy-efficient?