Passive
solar design is the process of designing and orientating
new buildings or modifying existing ones to purposefully
capture the suns natural energy.
The
Romans first discovered that by glazing the south-facing
windows and porches of their buildings, solar
energy could be trapped, heating the building
and keeping the temperature constant into the
night. This simple phenomenon is called the "greenhouse
effect", today we call a building that uses
the greenhouse effect a "passive solar building".
The
basic principles of passive solar design are;
Orientating buildings to have much larger
south-facing windows (more sunlight exposure)
than at the north side.
Interior spaces requiring the most heating
and lighting should be along the south facing
side, with less used rooms (utility room, garage
etc.) on the north side.
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