In a passive solar home you get free heating and light most part of the day. Or at least take a big chunk off your monthly utility bills.
But for many homeowners, harnessing solar energy paints a picture of sheets of glass embedded with solar cells and battery packs. Well, that’s not so with passive solar power. This process of converting sunlight as an energy source can be very easy and may not even require a single piece of equipment.
And contrary to popular belief, passively using solar energy is not modern technology. Ancient Roman engineers and homebuilders have taken advantage of sunlight to provide heating and light for homes and buildings.
The best thing about a passive solar home is that it’s free, in the truest sense of the word. When you say passive, you really do not have to buy anything to harvest sun rays. All you have to do is design your home from the start in such a way that the sun’s heat and light can be used to your advantage for interior lighting and heating.
If you plan to use passive solar energy, you have to carefully study the location of your home. Your orientation has a lot to do with how effectively you can collect energy from sunlight. If you are just building a brand new home, it is vital that you know the sun’s bearings during all the four seasons before you start constructing.
Designing your home according to how the sun moves in a day will allow you to maximize its heat and light. It is also a good idea to verify the wind directions in your home location. Wind can be channeled through vents and tunnels to help you enhance the ventilation inside your home whenever the sun gets too hot in the middle of the day.
Finally, when constructing or fitting your place as a passive solar home, you have to consider the way that your rooms and windows are positioned in your home. Typically, areas that need to be cooler for most of the day should be located on the north side.
You may have some expenses in redesigning your home, but having a green home and huge savings from utility bills are all worth the initial investment.
