Solar homes

[goingrey]

I LOVE this magazine. A buddy turned me on to it. We both thought it was a hippie mag by the title, but it's not.

Interesting article on the free energy we don't use...
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Nature-Community/2002-08-01/Build-a-Solar-Home-and-Let-the-Sunshine-In.aspx

[PackerDad]

I agree, it is a pretty good read. It is one of the first ones I grab on my excursions to the library.

[woodchuck]

MEN does have some good info on occasion.

[Zag]

We lived in a passive solar home while I was growing up. Never understood why more homes weren't built this way. It was small, energy efficient, and very cheap to heat. (We'd need supplemental heat if the weather was overcast for more than 3 or 4 days.) We rarely turned on the heat.

My mom got the house through a subsidized government loan program. They designed the house and helped us get into it. What a concept - help people buy a home and make sure it is a GOOD one. Reagan ended that program, however. I'm not sure why someone else hasn't re-implemented something similar. A proven, simple technology rarely used.

[goingrey]

Cool Zag, what state was that?
I'm gonna go with the evil empire of fossil fuel companies (natural gas/oil) keeping the simple technology under wraps somehow? If everyone had energy efficient homes these CEOs may have to give up their summer homes...

We lived in a passive solar home while I was growing up. Never understood why more homes weren't built this way. It was small, energy efficient, and very cheap to heat. (We'd need supplemental heat if the weather was overcast for more than 3 or 4 days.) We rarely turned on the heat.

My mom got the house through a subsidized government loan program. They designed the house and helped us get into it. What a concept - help people buy a home and make sure it is a GOOD one. Reagan ended that program, however. I'm not sure why someone else hasn't re-implemented something similar. A proven, simple technology rarely used.

[Zag]

Cool Zag, what state was that?
I'm gonna go with the evil empire of fossil fuel companies (natural gas/oil) keeping the simple technology under wraps somehow? If everyone had energy efficient homes these CEOs may have to give up their summer homes...

It was in North Carolina. My brother still lives in the house, but due to lack of upkeep of the insulated shades designed to keep the heat in at night he no longer uses the passive solar aspects. In fact, the south facing windows are completely covered from the inside all the time. It's quite a dreary place now - cavelike.

I suppose this is another problem the program may have had. It took just a little more effort than simply setting a thermostat to use the passive solar, but not much.

[ministermatt]

We owned a passive solar home when we lived in Wisconsin. An Envelope home is what is was called. A house inside a house. Don't see how it could be affordable to build that way anymore, but we heated the house, approx 1800 sq/ft 2 story with a small wood burning stove in the family room. The house had no windows on the north side with 2 walls with about 16 of air space inbetween them. A false attic and a beautiful south facing entry. Full 2 story tall "sunroom" to collect the heat. It would then rise into the false attic and then down the back wall, wrapping the house in "free" heat.

The house we are building useses 6 inch foam core exterior walls to keep the suns heat inside. We have the 48 low E thermal pain windows on the east/south/west sides of the hosue. Only 3 on the north side. Did not have the budget to include any more fancy way to use the sun's free energy but in the coming years I will be looking for ways to "unplug" from the grid....

[goingrey]

Dang thats awesome. Im wondering what happens in the summer, and cooling naturally? Just some kind of covering for all that glass? Ive always wanted to infuse a solar water heater on the roof, but can't easily find the materials or literature. I use a wood stove all winter here and hope to build a "dream house" someday in the country...



We owned a passive solar home when we lived in Wisconsin. An Envelope home is what is was called. A house inside a house. Don't see how it could be affordable to build that way anymore, but we heated the house, approx 1800 sq/ft 2 story with a small wood burning stove in the family room. The house had no windows on the north side with 2 walls with about 16 of air space inbetween them. A false attic and a beautiful south facing entry. Full 2 story tall "sunroom" to collect the heat. It would then rise into the false attic and then down the back wall, wrapping the house in "free" heat.

The house we are building useses 6 inch foam core exterior walls to keep the suns heat inside. We have the 48 low E thermal pain windows on the east/south/west sides of the hosue. Only 3 on the north side. Did not have the budget to include any more fancy way to use the sun's free energy but in the coming years I will be looking for ways to "unplug" from the grid....

[Mark B.]

Did not have the budget to include any more fancy way to use the sun's free energy but in the coming years I will be looking for ways to "unplug" from the grid....

Let not your heart be troubled ministermatt. Global warming, or as the kids call it today "climate change", will take care of that free of charge.

[Pepper]

My wifes parents have some sort of heat collectors on the room. When it is sunny they collect heat and it gets pushed through ducts to the rest of the house. It supplements the furnace. Pretty cool stuff.
When we get a home (not a condo) I look forward to setting up some solar power. You know with all that extra cash this SAHD gig gets me.