Passive solar is method of using the energy from the sun to heat a home. It is extremely popular because the process is free once a passive solar home is created.
Passive solar can be used to heat home in colder areas, but you have to go into it with reasonable expectations. While the cold climate is a hurdle, the real issue is going to be length of time the sun beats down upon your property. If your home receives only four or five hours of direct sunlight a day, forget it. You will never produce enough energy to keep the home warm for sufficient periods of time.
Passive solar design is very popular in warm to mild climates because it is more or less a free method for warming a home. The manipulation of the position of the home and placement of large windows in the south facing wall is typical strategies for dealing with the issue. Obviously, large windows in a cold climate are going to result in significant heat loss regardless of the quality with which they are built. So, what can you do?
There are two primary approaches to creating a passive solar design that works in the winter. One is the use of a large Trombe Wall and the other is the greenhouse approach. Let’s take a look.
Trombe Walls are popular in passive solar designs because they effectively
convert sunlight to heat and are interesting from an aesthetic view point. significantly colder areas, the wall is going to need to be much larger, perhaps the full length of the home depending upon energy analysis and cold weather expected. An energy audit of the home is the only to arrive at definitive answer.
You are also going to have to incorporate a flip strategy for the heat. This means you need to create an air circulation method whereby you draw the hot air into a secondary space behind the wall. The circulation should be done on a timer similar to the solar thermostats used on solar hot water panels. The point is to keep the built up heat from escaping back into the environment.
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