Building Methods

Passive Solar Design and Construction

Passive solar design and construction is the proper use of orientation, insulation, ventilation, and mass in a building during the design stage.  These practices do not necessarily add anything to the price of construction and can save the homeowner enormously in energy costs over time.  The goal is to have the house naturally heat and cool itself as much as possible without the use of mechanical systems or fossil fuels.

 

Orientation is the practice of positioning your home on your site in accordance with the sun’s access, seasonal temperatures, and wind patterns.  It also involves the correct placement of windows, properly sized overhangs, and the incorporation of landscaping in the most advantageous manner.

Insulation is cheap and effective, will greatly increase the heating and cooling efficiency of your home, and can be accomplished with a variety of materials, including straw bales.

Proper ventilation can be achieved passively by the use of carefully placed opening skylights and windows, which create a passive thermosiphon, allowing you to use nighttime cooling during the hot summer months.  It can also be achieved with fans to help speed the process and move air inside the building

Mass in your home is the use of heavy materials (concrete, tile, plaster, water) that help to stabilize the indoor temperature.  Carefully placed in proximity of south facing windows, mass will help to keep your home cool in the summer and warm in the winter.  The plaster that covers strawbales is the perfect kind of mass that is evenly distributed and not too thick.