Sustainable design is the process of designing a house so that it minimises the ongoing impact on the environment. This may include the way the house sits on the block, the way the house uses or reuses water, power use and generation and passive solar design.

It is particularly Passive Solar Design which we are talking about today. The biggest user of power and therefore producer of greenhouse gas emissions in the home is heating and cooling.

It therefore makes sense that if we can reduce the heating and cooling of the home this will result in less impact on the environment. This is where passive solar design comes in.

Passive solar design is when we use the natural elements such as sun and sea breezes to heat and cool our home.

What are the main principles of Passive solar design and how can we utilize them in our house design?

Basically Passive solar design is keeping the summer sun out and letting the winter sun in. Combine this with correct ventilation to capture the cooling summer breezes and you will have a house design utilizing passive solar design principles.

In short the principles of Passive solar design are:

Northerly orientation of daytime living areas

Appropriate Glazing to North and minimal to East and West

Passive shading of glass eg. Eaves

Thermal mass for storing heat

Insulation and Draft proofing

Positioning windows to capture cooling breezes

Correct zoning of areas in the house to maximise comfort for the living and sleeping areas.

For more information of Passive Solar Design please contact Scope Drafting and Design….