Some Tips on Passive Solar Home

All homes should be built with solar in mind. It could add to the beauty of a home, such as the early morning sun at a breakfast nook. Solar energy could also be a factor in beating up the home over time.Using passive solar design in your home today brings many benefits beyond comfort. Incorporating solar design will also lower your utility bills, which in the long run would use less energy and ultimately decrease pollution.

The guidelines mentioned below are just a starting point. Many other changes can and should be made to incorporate solar energy into your home. The guidelines that are mentioned have been drawn from research and practical application.

Location and Position - The winter sun rises south of east and sets south of west. With this in mind, the longest aspect or wall of the home should be facing south. This side should have the most windows also in order to take advantage of the solar energy. In order to find True South do not use a compass. Instead wait until solar noon or straight up in the sky. Imagine hooking a string to the sun. When it is hanging straight down then it will be solar noon. It is important to mention that this will not occur at 12 noon on a clock. There are reasons for this but for brevity we will move on.

At the exact moment of solar noon, a vertical pole in the ground will cast a shadow that is precisely balanced along the north/south line. This line is accurate and easy to create using the string theory.

Let The Sun Shine In- Tree and bush placement should be considered. Warm or tropical climates would benefit by planting to block out the mid-day sun. However colder climates should plant in order to take full advantage of solar warmth, especially in the dead of winter. Keep in mind that trees do loose there leaves in the winter time in most climates.

Windows On South Wall- Research has shown that the windows on the south facing wall should not exceed 7% of the homes total square footage.

(Example is 1,000 sq. ft. home = 70 sq. ft. of glass.) To find the net sq. ft. of any particular window an equation is used that takes the trim or molding into consideration. Windows square feet X .8 = net sq. ft.

Example 5 foot X 4 foot window = 20 sq. ft. X 0.8 = 16 net sq. feet

Using the above equation for the following: East and North wall is not to exceed 4% net sq. ft. of window and West side should not exceed 2% maximum.

Electric Fans- A great way of saving electricity in the summer is by using overhead fans. This would drastically save the time the air conditioner is on.

Another way of saving big time on your electric bill is to install solar panels.