Passive Solar Heating

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The 20,000 ft² Congregation Beth David Synagogue in San Luis Obispo, California, was completed in 2006 at a cost of $161/ft². Measured energy consumption shows 82% savings compared with a standard Title-24 building in California—and a 90% reduction in CO₂ emissions. A combination of direct gain and water walls, with effective shading, provides passive solar heating, daylighting, natural cooling, and natural ventilation.

By Alex Wilson

I was fortunate to have been involved in the glory days of the passive solar energy movement. In the late 1970s I worked in Santa Fe for the New Mexico Solar Energy Association, which was at the epicenter of the burgeoning movement to create buildings that relied on south-facing glass, integrated thermal mass, and carefully designed building geometries to deliver heat in the winter and maintain natural cooling in the summer. We thought we had the answers to the world’s energy woes. It was a heady time.

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ARTICLE CONTENTS
	Passive Solar Design: Three Approaches
		Direct gain: South-facing windows
		Indirect gain: Thermal storage walls
		Isolated gain: Sunspaces
		Passive solar vs. suntempering
	Why Passive Solar Is Important
	Not As Relevant As It Used to Be
	Elements of Passive Solar Design
		Applicability of passive solar
		Orientation and geometry
		Bringing solar energy into a building
		Absorption of solar energy
		Storage of solar energy
		Distribution of passive solar heat
	Features to Enhance Passive Solar
		Exterior shading
		Moveable insulation on windows
		Landscaping
		Integrated ventilation of thermal mass
	Options for Back-Up Heat
	Rules of Thumb and the Passive Solar Design Process
	Suntempering Is Increasingly the Right Solution

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