passive solar design, definition of

Passive Solar Design

Passive Solar Design is undergoing a resurgence as more people not only recognise the comfort benefits and lower energy bills of solar architecture, but now see a way of helping reduce the polluting effects of green house gases through less reliance on fossil fuels for heating and cooling.

Basic house design principles include:
  • Orientation of the main living areas towards the North (or South if in the Northern hemisphere)
  • Glazing used to trap the warmth of the Sun.
  • Thermal mass to store the heat from the Sun.
  • Insulation to reduce heat loss or heat gain.
  • Ventilation to capture cooling breezes.
A well designed solar home should remain within 18 degrees C to 28 degrees C throughout the year and save 60% to 70% in average household heating costs.

EcoWho Articles where 'passive solar design' used:
  • Low Allergen Building Design
    Low allergen design is a whole building approach that aims to reduce and avoid all known allergens, and to minimize the conditions in which they occur. This article shows you how.
  • The importance of building orientation
    Building orientation to the Sun is important to reduce energy consumption, keeping comfortable and saving money. This article explains how best to get building orientation correct. Through a combination of benefits and opportunities the correct building orientation could save you thousands.
  • What is Passive Solar?
    Passive solar building design is explained and how passive solar principals are used to design green homes and buildings, and save you money.
EcoWho blog posts where 'passive solar design' used:
  • Passive Solar Design advice
    Passive Solar design can be applied to existing buildings as well as new buildings. We explain some useful techniques and give links to useful resources.
Online tools where 'passive solar design' used:
  • Passive Solar Design Eaves Calculator
    Works out the ideal Eave depth for a given height of window and world location; so the Sun comes in in Winter but not Summer, maximizing the passive solar effect.
News & Blog articles where 'passive solar design' used:

Related Tags: passive solar, green building, thermal mass, solar homes

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A free Android app containing all these definitions is now available, called the Green Dictionary. Click here to see the entry on the Android market; or click here if on an Android phone.