Passive solar energy is the heating space that utilizes the design of the house or building so as trap solar heat when necessary. This means that the passive solar ensures that the house is not too cold during winter and not too hot in the summer. A good passive solar should be able to pick up enough heat in the winter for free.
This is attributed to the fact that the sunlight has about a kilowatt of heat in a single square yard thus basing on the square yards that a house has, this solar should be able to collect as much heat as possible. There are various designs of this type of solar and if well utilized, they can be used to reduce cooling and heating bills in your home.
Common Designs of Passive Solar Energy
There are some major designs that can be incorporated on this solar energy so as to make it more effective. Some of these designs are;
Align windows: Windows are aligned in a way that they heed to the sunlight in the summer. This is achievable in that during this period when the sun is high, there is little sunlight that shines directly to the house. During winter season when the sun is low, the windows are aligned in a way that they permit sunlight into the rooms facing the south. Basing on the latitude, overhang might be required so as to restrict excess sunlight in the summer.
Get the best affordable windows: Passive solar is characterized by the windows hence you need to find the best windows that will suit this function. However, these windows lose excess heat at night than any other insulated area. Due to this, you need to ensure that the windows are well insulated so as to be effective during passive solar energy. These windows should be closed as well as draft free. This is because if the home is better sealed, there will be minimal loss of heat.
Consider your Trees: Trees tend to change with the season of the weather in that in the summer, trees (deciduous) offer extra shade while in winter they shade off all their leaves which give way to extra light. Due to this, you need to think carefully when creating the site regarding the trees.
Face South: Windows should face south while some few of them should face north so as to reduce on heat loss. In order to get the best from the passive solar energy, there is need to ensure that the windows face the magnetic south so as to catch more light during morning hours.
Use thermal mass: This is advised so as to get steady temperature.
Why You Need To Use Passive Solar Energy?
There are some advantages of using passive solar energy such as
Costs: Passive energy is cost effective in that you will save so much money that you could have used in paying electrical bills. Due to this, most modern buildings have adapted to this method and are fixing this type of energy provider.
Efficient: As much as it not the major source of heating in the house, it is efficient in that it is a subsidiary form of heating that can be used at the convenience of the homeowner.
It is eco-friendly: The conservatory glass used ensures that there is warmth in most parts of the house and also nearby areas. Passive solar energy is also friendly to the environment for it does not pollute it in any given way.
Renewable energy: Every person in the modern world is in need of renewable energy and passive solar energy offers the best solution. There are no carbon footprints that are created and it takes cheap steps to have it installed in your home.