Designing and building a solar house: your place in the sun

Book · Sat Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1977

OSTI ID:7084852

Watson, D

Solar space heating in past and present architecture is reviewed in Chapter 1. In Chapters 2 through 5, the basic methods and principles of operation of passive and active solar heating are presented. The purpose is to describe how particular types of solar equipment fit into the overall heating-system design. The operation of a solar heating system is presented as a series of three steps: solar heat collection, its storage, and its distribution to the house interior. In Chapter 6, solar heating is shown to be part of a total approach to energy conservation in building, and is termed, ''ecodesign,'' to describe the many techniques of house-planning and construction that can be used to reduce fuel consumption. Chapter 7 compares six alternative approaches to solar house heating, each with different installation costs and heating energy results. These alternatives, ranging from a small solar installation (for domestic water heating or auxiliary solar heating only) to a large-capacity solar space heating system, are compared in terms of economic payback in four northern climates. The methods of calculation are described in an Appendix by which readers can evaluate their own choices in terms of local climate, installation cost and financing charges. The basic steps in planning a solar house project are described in Chaper 8, from site planning and design to construction, and checklists are provided of important points to consider under each of these topics. The many ways by which to proceed toward realizing a solar project are discussed. These include working with solar design consultants, equipment suppliers, and builders. (MCW)

• OSTI ID: 7084852
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
140901 -- Solar Thermal Utilization-- Space Heating & Cooling
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
291000 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Conservation
299001* -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Solar-- (1989-)
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
320101 -- Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization-- Residential Buildings-- (-1987)
BUILDING MATERIALS
BUILDINGS
CLIMATES
CONSTRUCTION
COST
DESIGN
ENERGY CONSERVATION
ENGINEERING
EQUIPMENT
HEATING
HOUSES
MATERIALS
PERFORMANCE
RESIDENTIAL SECTOR
SOLAR HEATING
SOLAR SPACE HEATING
SPACE HEATING