Passive Solar Heating and Cooling

What is Passive Solar Design?

Passive solar design refers to the use of the sun's energy for the heating and cooling of living spaces. In this approach, the building itself or some element of it takes advantage of natural energy characteristics in materials and air created by exposure to the sun. Passive systems are simple, have few moving parts, and require minimal maintenance and require no mechanical systems.

Operable windows, thermal mass, and thermal chimneys are common elements found in passive design. Operable windows are simply windows that can be opened. Thermal mass refers to materials such as masonry and water that can store heat energy for extended time. Thermal mass will prevent rapid temperature fluctuations. Thermal chimneys create or reinforce the effect of hot air rising to induce air movement for cooling purposes.

How you can get Passive Solar Heating and Cooling:

By simply adding appropriately sized over hangs that shade the house in summer when the sun is higher in the sky and small enough to allow in the winter sun you can add passive solar to your home.  By painting large sun trenched walls a dark color or adding a masonry feature you can create a thermo mass temperature regulator.  With the addition of an operational skylight in the stairway you can create a thermal chimney which draws out heat from the bottom out the top.