Passive Solar Heating And Cooling

Passive solar heating uses free heating direct from the sun to dramatically reduce the estimated 40 of energy consumed in the average australian home for space heating and cooling dewha 2008.

Passive solar heating and cooling.

A passive solar system does not require the use of mechanical equipment because the heat flow is by natural means such as radiation convection and conductance and the thermal storage is. The key to designing a passive solar building is. These basic responses to solar heat lead to design. A well designed passive solar home first reduces heating and cooling loads through energy efficiency strategies and then meets those reduced loads in whole or part with solar energy.

Passive heating and cooling of homes is not new. When sunlight strikes a building the building materials can reflect transmit or absorb the solar radiation. While such movement may be affected by appropriate temperature differences in a closed circuit situation i e isolated from the effects of exterior air movements in an open circuit air movement by air. Passive solar design refers to the use of the sun s energy for the heating and cooling of living spaces by exposure to the sun.

The ultimate goal is to encourage wise passive solar construction moving towards energy independence for all. This can be done through passive solar solar thermal energy conversion and photovoltaic conversion sunlight to electricity. Energy independence and security act of 2007 created 2008 through 2012 funding for a new solar air conditioning research and development program which should. The above image is of mesa verde national park the ancestral puebloan cliff dwellings in color.

Solar air conditioning refers to any air conditioning cooling system that uses solar power. What is passive solar heating cooling. Passive solar design takes advantage of a building s site climate and materials to minimize energy use. Passive solar heating systems make use of the building components to collect store and distribute solar heat gains to reduce the demand for space heating.

Because of the small heating loads of modern homes it is very important to avoid oversizing south facing. Concerns for passive solar heating and cooling have prompted renewed interest in the use of thermal differences for movement of air. Passive solar heating and cooling sometimes referred to simply as passive solar design is the process of using specific building systems to help regulate internal temperature by using the sun s energy selectively and beneficially in an attempt to improve the energy efficiency in these systems the building itself or some element of it takes advantage of the natural energy characteristics of. With convection systems if you let the air escape you lose all your personal comfort.

The basics on passive heating and cooling homes as when building a green high performance healthy home free heat is a good start. This is called passive solar design because unlike active solar heating systems it does not involve the use of mechanical and electrical devices. Most australian climates require both passive heating and cooling.