Solar Heating and Cooling

The cheapest way to heat your home is to let the Sun do the work for free.  If your home has north-facing windows, make sure trees or bushes do not block the Sun. Using passive solar design techniques to heat and cool our homes could be both environment-friendly and cost effectual. Passive solar heating methods involves placing larger and insulated windows on south-facing walls or locating thermal mass, like as a concrete slab floor or a heat-absorbing wall and close to the windows. In several cases, we could cut our heating costs through more than 50% compared to the cost of heating the similar house which does not involve passive solar design.

Passive solar design could also help decrease our cooling costs. Passive solar cooling techniques involve carefully designed overhangs, windows along with reflective coatings, and the use of reflective coatings on exterior walls and the roof. Therefore, a passive solar house also needs careful design and site orientation that depend on the local climate. So, if we are considering passive solar design for latest construction or a main remodelling, we should consult an architect familiar along with passive solar techniques.