Solar heated home using an attached greenhouse and a woodburning stove. Final report

Technical Report · Sat Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1981

OSTI ID:5627820

Mears, D R

An important feature of the Rutgers system for solar heating of commercial greenhouses is a flooded subfloor that serves as a massive storage and enables the entire floor surface to act as the primary heat exchanger. Preliminary studies indicate that adapting this concept to a residential space heating system would enable the solar system to operate at low temperatures, about 25 to 30/sup 0/C, facilitating the use of simple and low-cost solar collection systems. An addition has been retrofit onto a 125-year old residence with a flooded subfloor which serves as thermal storage and enables the floor surface to become the primary heat exchange surface. There is also an attached greenhouse on the south side with a similar floor storage. Water from either floor can be heated by solar collectors or a backup system. Warm air from the greenhouse can be circulated through the house during the day. The primary backup system is a woodstove with a water heating coil which can be used to heat either the greenhouse or the residence or both. The preexisting oil-fired heating system is the final stage of backup. The woodstove backup unit became operational during the first week of February 1980, and the greenhouse was glazed by the middle of March. The greenhouse and the woodstove backup system both were fully operational for the start of the heating season in the fall of 1980. The temperatures in the residence and operation of the oil burner were monitored since the spring of 1980. Since the fall of 1980 the temperatures in the greenhouse and of the floor storage systems have also been monitored and the thermal performance of the system determined. Air temperature in the residence has been maintained above 20/sup 0/C, and the greenhouse above 10/sup 0/C. All space heating needs are met by the woodstove and passive gain from the greenhouse.

• Research Organization: Mears (David R.), Belle Mead, NJ (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: FG42-79R205064
• OSTI ID: 5627820
• Report Number(s): DOE/R2/05064-T1; ON: DE85013400
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
140901* -- Solar Thermal Utilization-- Space Heating & Cooling
APPLIANCES
ATTACHED GREENHOUSES
BUILDINGS
CONSTRUCTION
DATA
DESIGN
ENERGY BALANCE
ENERGY STORAGE
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FLOORS
FURNACES
GREENHOUSES
HEAT STORAGE
HOUSES
INFORMATION
NUMERICAL DATA
PERFORMANCE
RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS
RETROFITTING
STORAGE
TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENT
TIME DEPENDENCE
WOOD BURNING APPLIANCES
WOOD BURNING FURNACES