For most of us, the concept of passive solar power is a little strange since we’re probably more familiar with the idea of pumps and gadgets to drive things around. However, when it comes to heating your home or your business, passive solar heating systems are amongst the most cost effective on the market. These systems are literally part of the building and, as ‘passive’ suggests, use only the natural laws of convection and gravity to circulate heat.
With passive solar heating, the whole house is the solar panel and so there is no added cost to the cost of the construction of the building. But what are the systems available to you? And which one suits your needs best? Well, there are three main systems of passive solar heating out there – Direct Gain; Indirect Gain; and Isolated Gain.
Of the three systems, direct gain is probably the simplest. The walls and floors of a room are the thermal mass which soaks up and stores the heat from sunlight. When night comes, the heat is released back into the room, keeping it warm. The windows, meanwhile, help to intensify the sunlight in the room. The system works best if the walls and flooring are no more than 6 inches in thickness, with less than that in living spaces. The floor works best if it is bare wood rather than carpeted to ensure maximum heat reaches the thermal mass. It’s also recommended that the surface area of thermal mass is 9 times that of the area of glazing. Typically, this system will utilise 60% – 75% of the sun’s energy.
Indirect gain systems also use air convection and the heat of the sun, but rather than heating the room directly, a special thermal mass wall (known as a Trombe Wall) is constructed at least 4 inches from the glass. This wall can be constructed of concrete, brick or even insulated and filled with water, and its exterior is painted in a dark colour. The wall retains the heat and air trapped between it and the window is heated and allowed to circulate into the room via vents positioned high (hot air in) and low (cold air out) in the wall. At night, the vents are closed and heat within the wall radiates into the room. The wall’s thickness is 10-14 inches (brick), 12-18 inches (concrete) and 6-8 inches for water. Approximately 0.20sq ft of thermal mass wall per 1sq ft of floor area is needed (0.15 for a water wall). It effectively uses 30% – 45% of the heat of the sun.
Lastly, isolated gain systems are the more expensive as the construction of a conservatory or glasshouse from the thermal mass wall is necessary. This system only uses 15% – 30% of the sun’s energy but the additional living space is the key attraction. However, proper ventilation of the conservatory is also necessary, as too much heat there can make it impossible to enjoy during the day. In essence, this system is a mixture of direct and indirect gain systems, with rooms inside the building heated through convection during the day, and conduction at night when both vents are closed.
Passive Solar Heating System – Comment Below
Tweet or Plus 1 us to get a free bonus report as a thank you!
Tweet
How would you like to save hundreds every year on your utility bills?
You can with the tips you will find in No-Cost and Low-Cost Energy Saving Tips For Your Home
- How to find energy leaks in your home
- Low cost ways to seal your windows against energy loss
- How your landscaping can save you money
- How to determine if you have enough insulation and where to add insulation for the most savings.
- And many more money saving tips!
Normally retails for $11.97 – Yours free when you tweet or plus 1 this page:
TweetRelated posts:
Solar Panel News
Recent Comments