Understanding Passive Solar Design
What is Passive Solar?
what is passive solar design so you quite often will hear people saying oh it has passive Soul again what does that mean
in Winter the sun is very very low and so what that means is you can get lots of solar penetration coming into your home or you're building but in summer you have a much higher sun it's much hotter and you don't want that penetration of sunlight so you can design an optimal length of an eave to make sure that that sunlight never ever comes into your house or building so in summer you're not getting unwanted heat building up inside the house so it stays quite a stable temperature
in Winter what you can do is not only let it come in so that it builds up heat in the space but if you put what's called thermal mass and heating it up during the day at night time that will start to release heat and it'll hold on to that heat for a long long time and it's free
Passive Solar Design Specifications
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Winter Sun Angle | Very low |
| Summer Sun Angle | Much higher |
| Summer Heat Control | Optimal eave length prevents unwanted solar penetration |
| Winter Heat Capture | Direct solar penetration to build up heat |
| Heat Storage Mechanism | Thermal mass, heated during the day, releases heat at night |
| Energy Cost | Free |
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What does it mean for a building to have "passive solar design"? A: It means the design leverages natural solar patterns, such as the sun's angle in winter and summer, to regulate the building's temperature and capture heat without mechanical systems.
Q: How does passive solar design prevent unwanted heat in summer? A: In summer, when the sun is much higher and hotter, an optimal length of an eave can be designed to ensure that sunlight never comes into the house or building, preventing unwanted heat from building up inside and helping the house stay quite a stable temperature.
Q: How does passive solar design provide heating in winter? A: In winter, when the sun is very low, passive solar design allows lots of solar penetration to come into the home, building up heat. Additionally, if you put in what's called thermal mass and heat it up during the day, at nighttime that will start to release heat and hold onto it for a long, long time, and it's free.