What Is Passive
Solar Energy?

Passive solar energy is using the sun's rays during the day to heat your home in the winter.  The solar energy is absorbed through windows and doors.  In a new home design, windows can be oriented to the south and west for maximum solar heat gain.

Because the Earth is round, the sun strikes the surface at different angles, ranging from 0° (just above the horizon) to 90° (directly overhead). When the sun's rays are vertical, the Earth's surface gets all the energy possible. The more slanted the sun's rays are, the longer they travel through the atmosphere, becoming more scattered and diffuse. Because the Earth is round, the frigid polar regions never get a high sun, and because of the tilted axis of rotation, these areas receive no sun at all during part of the year.

However, during my custom home design I don't always recommend using passive solar.  The key is to build your home such that no hot or cold ever enters or escapes your home.

The perfect energy efficient home would have no openings.  No doors or windows.  Now we know that's not possible?  So when you do have doors and windows the key is to minimize these losses.

In my designs I typically do not tell a client they must remove windows or place them in a special location.  We design their home like they want it and THEN I teach them how to make it super energy efficient.

What is passive solar energy and how can it help you?  Visit my website below to learn more.

Are you building a home and looking for a custom, passive solar house plan?  Visit my home deisgn site at www.rye-homes.com for more information.