Passive Solar Heating & Cooling

[adam]

If you've ever stepped into a century-old house in summer, chances are you noticed it wasn't swelteringly hot despite a lack of air conditioning. Credit goes to its design: A wrap-around porch or a big overhang keeps glaring sun at bay instead of streaming indoors. Maybe a huge oak or maple provides shade in a key location. Ample windows placed strategically can be opened and provide welcome breeze, thanks to cross-ventilation. White paint - or some other light shade -- reflects the sun's heat.

[Patton Ward]

Hello guys!

It is a design which provides heat and cooling to a home or building without using any electricity or fuel. No fans, no motors, etc. It is a design which utilizes the sun, and natural storage media, like water, or rocks etc. for heating, and proper thermal ventilation functions for cooling.

[Bobsthelast]

I know. A lot of larger homes were very, very cool in the summer. They could be as much as 20 to 30 degrees cooler. The wrap around porches did a lot for the cooling. The bad thing is I cannot get today's builders to understand this. I tried to have my house made this way and they didn't seem to get the concept.

[Green Scene]

Our home is wired for air conditioning, but we don't have it. We open the house up at night in the summer, then close it down by about 9 a.m. and it's consistently 10-12 degrees cooler inside than outside. Proper insulation was the key.

[SarahC]

Yes, I wish we had big porches to shade us from the glare so the house would stay cooler naturally. We have one tree growing but it's going to take awhile.

At least we have good cross-ventilation through our great room.

[Michy Luv]

It seems like these days you can't really have what you want, where you want it. So many of the nice neighborhood have design rules for houses being built in them. It really is too bad.

[Bobsthelast]

I know what you're talking about, Michy Luv. I drew a diagram of what I wanted my porches to look like and I still didn't get what I wanted. I wanted porches around all four sides with a "gazebo" on each corner. I thought it would not only look good but be a wonderful seating area.

[Shallow Child]

Sounds wonderful Bob! I wonder if you could renovate to include the changes you wanted? It really sounds lovely. I know the Amish people around where we live use passive heating/cooling by the way they build their houses.