Passive Solar Roof

The share of the home s heating load that the passive solar design can meet is called the passive solar fraction and depends on the area of glazing and the amount of thermal mass.

Passive solar roof.

Let s start with passive solar roof design. 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. When sunlight strikes a building the building materials can reflect transmit or absorb the solar radiation. Therefore you want to allow the sun s light to shine on windows or even exterior walls only when it is cold outside and you want to block the sun s rays when it is hot outside.

It typically is constructed of containers holding 6 to 12 in 150 to 300 mm of water on a flat roof. In passive solar homes effective weatherproofing and insulation and thus near airtightness is a necessity if primary reliance upon sunlight for climate control is to be possible. In simple terms a passive solar home collects heat as the sun shines through south facing windows and retains it in materials that store heat known as thermal mass. Passive solar homes can be any color just like normal homes but they lose a major advantage if they aren t painted to suit the climate.

In addition the heat produced by the sun causes air movement that can be predictable in designed spaces.