Passive Solar Design - Using The Sun's Energy For Free
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If you ever wanted to save electricity and improve the comfort of your home without using any high-tech gadgets, then passive solar design is the answer.
Passive solar design is a technique of using the sun to naturally heat and light up your home or office. This is achieved by using various building features and materials to improve heating and cooling efficiency. The best part about passive solar design is that it is relatively simple to implement, little maintenance is needed, and your home's market value can increase considerably.
When working out the passive solar potential of your home, you need to consider how it was built and what materials is was built from. The ideal position for your home would be either be on flat land or on a sun-facing slope. Also, in suburban areas, any trees nearby should be deciduous to shade your home in summer, and let through the sunlight in winter.
If you plan to build a new home, make sure it is designed so that the majority of it faces the sun. Also, the size, type and shape of your windows will affect how much sunlight and natural heat your home gets.
So how does the sun heat your home? There are three ways:
1) Direct - this the heat generated from the sun shining directly on an object.
2) Indirect - when an object with the sun shining on it, radiates heat.
3) Isolated gain - determined by the airflow in your home.
The get the most out the the above 3 heat sources, you should try install large windows on the sun-facing side of your home, as this will allow the most sunlight in.
All that sunlight and heat in your home is useless, if it cannot be stored and used when the sun is set. The solution is to use heat-absorbent flooring and walls that carry on radiating heat long into the night. A simple way to reduce power cost in winter is to locate to rooms in your house that get the most sunshine at certain times of day. Also, shady rooms should be cut-off (their doors closed) from the rest of the house to retain heat better.
In summer, to regulate the amount of sunshine in your home, you can use the right size roof overhangs. They should extend out enough to block out the midday sun, but allow through weaker sun during the morning and evening. Once again, make sure you have the ideal trees and shrubs to control sunlight entering your home.
For current buildings, the simplest passive solar design solution is to replace your windows with modern ones, that use various methods to store up 50% more heat. Although they are 10% to 15% more expensive, they pay for themselves in the long-term from all the power saved to heat your home.
These modern windows are known as double-glazed or Low-Emissivity (Low-E) windows. They are great at letting through sunlight and keeping radiant heat from escaping. Some them are made from 2 panes of glass, with a gap of krpyton or argon gas in between to store the sun's heat. Just make sure your windows and doors are tightly-sealed, and it will prevent any warmth from escaping your home.
What also has an effect is the type of window frames you have. Wooden, fiberglass and vinyl window frames are better insulators as opposed to metal frames that conduct the heat too well. When it comes to buying your windows, make sure they are officially labeled either by Energy Start or the National Fenestration Rating Council (for the U.S.). These two bodies give ratings on how energy efficient and effective the windows are, making it easier for you to buy the right windows for your climate and budget.
So you can see, passive solar design is the effective use of nature and physics to maximize the use of the sun's natural lighting and heat. Always remember, the point of solar passive design is to reduce your electricity usage and bills. So it is recommended to always weigh up the costs against the potential power savings when installing any passive solar solution at home.
Article Source: Articlelogy.com
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