Passive Solar Heating System

Each day during the heating season.

Passive solar heating system.

In a passive solar heating system the aperture collector is a large glass window area through which sunlight enters the building. Passive systems do not use mechanical devices such as fans blowers or pumps to distribute solar heat from a collector. Because of the small heating loads of modern homes it is very important to avoid oversizing south facing. Typically the aperture s should face within 30 of true south and should not be shaded by other buildings or trees from 9 a m.

Passive solar design takes advantage of a building s site climate and materials to minimize energy use. Passive solar design refers to the use of the sun s energy for the heating and cooling of living spaces by exposure to the sun. These basic responses to solar heat lead to design. Passive solar heating is using the sun s rays to heat a living space by exposing the area to sunlight.

Passive solar buildings take advantage of how the sun moves throughout the day with attention to seasonal changes in sunlight to warm living spaces without requiring any mechanical devices or fuel to do so. The key to designing a passive solar building is. An example of a passive system for space heating is a sunspace or solar greenhouse. When sunlight strikes a building the building materials can reflect transmit or absorb the solar radiation.

A well designed passive solar home first reduces heating and cooling loads through energy efficiency strategies and then meets those reduced loads in whole or part with solar energy. In addition the heat produced by the sun causes air movement that can be predictable in designed spaces.