Homes heated by the sun's free heat!

Passive Solar Houses are aptly named因为这里没有电线、面板或电池，没有任何东西会损坏。这只是关于设计，并不是一个新的概念。Humans around the globe have been incorporatingpassive solar designfeatures into their homes for thousands of years.

Active solarrefers to any system of solar panels whether it be photovoltaic power generation, or thermal solar where liquid passing through tubes collects heat to be redistributed through your house.

According to NASA, every day the sun provides the earth with 10,000 times the total energy consumed by humans. Apassive solar house就是为了利用这一点而设计的。

Passive solar heating is yet another green building design feature that will save you money while improving your quality of life, EcoHome even have a design and rating system designed around it calledThe Passive Solar Index - check it out here. Artificialefficient energy saving lightingin the built environment affects natural human biorhythms, can lead to fatigue, and reduce our ability to concentrate - especially if the blue light content is too high.

Whether we realize it or not, we are all directly affected by the amount and quality of light we are exposed to. As most of our daylight hours are spent at work, the office environment has a particularly heavy impact on us. As a testament to the benefits of natural light,LEED certifiedcommercial buildings that offer outside views and natural light report higher productivity and worker satisfaction.

How passive solar heating and cooling works:

There are two dates that form the cornerstone of passive solar design, December 21st and June 21st when the sun is at its highest and lowest points.

In Passive Solar design, window size and placement along with overhangs and shading are determined based on these two dates to ensure maximum exposure at midday December 21st, and maximum shading at midday June 21st in the Northern Hemisphere.

Passive solar window design
Passive solar window design for maximum heating in winter. © Ecohome

These two dates are important because while you want to absorb as much heat as possible in winter, insufficient shading in summer can make houses unbearably hot and increase cooling costs, which will negate a lot of the energy savings from the free passive solar heating.

In the design phase you can determine which parts of your floors and walls will be exposed to the sun in winter, and place materials there that will absorb thermal radiation. Darker materials with heavy mass like concrete, stone or brick will absorb the most heat. For walls you can simply add a second layer of drywall (or more), if you want to keep a traditional look.

Ahigh quality window choiceis important, and to truly invest in this concept you are best to install at leasttriple pane gas-filled windows with low-e coatingsto ensure that the heat gained in the daytime outweighs the heat lost at night - or if really wishing to Optimize window performance,consider choosing some of the latest generation suspended-film insulating-glass glazing units or windowslike those fromLiteZone.

It's important to keep in mind that passive solar heating is not something that should intimidate you in the design phase, and it isn't an 'all or nothing' concept. It is an ancient and relatively easy concept that has been overlooked in home construction for generations.

To see more aboutPassive Solar heated homes see here, to discoverabout Passive House Certification and Design see here, both fromEcoHome's Green Building Guides

To see more videos from EcoHome demonstrating how to build Passive Solar Houses, Passive House & LEED Platinum Homes, see here