passive solar, definition of

Passive solar design refers to the use of the sun's energy for the heating and cooling of living spaces. With 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. Often the thermal characteristics of materials are extensively used, often termed as Thermal Mass design.

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• 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.

• 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.
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  The EarthCare Centre in Western Sydney is having an open day on Sustainable House Day
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• Special Interest Groups
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• 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.

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

Passive Solar Energy is the energy captured by a building from the Sun and used to either heat or cool a building.

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Related Tags: passive solar, thermal mass