Passive solar architecture is a sustainable design principal, that takes advantage of the climate to maintain a comfortable temperature in the home all year round. Windows, walls and floors are made to collect, store and distribute solar energy in the form of heat in winter and disperse solar heat in summer. Passive design reduces (and sometimes eliminates) the need for you to use heating or cooling devices such as air-conditioners, gas heaters or other forms of electrical devices to control the temperature.

The Australian climate has four distinct seasons – summers can be scorching hot and winters are very cold. The high variation in temperature from day to night can however, in a well-designed house, be used to benefit the overall comfort conditions within the home.

A well-designed passive solar home can deliver comfortable conditions all year round with minimal auxiliary heating or cooling. Approximately 40% of the average household energy is used to heat and cool to achieve thermal comfort. In a well-designed house this rate could be cut to almost zero.

Orientation

Where possible, the long axis of the house should face as close as possible to north. This will increase the energy efficiency of your home, making it more comfortable to live in and cheaper to run. The living areas should be located on the northern side of the house, whilst bedroom wings can be orientated on the east or west to take in the benefit of the sun in either the morning or the evening depending on the individual clients needs. Westerly sun can be hot for a bedroom, however, allows for natural heating in winter during the evening, whilst keeping cool most of the morning.

In this example, we’re designing a new fixed roof pergola and deck on a Prominda home we built a few years ago, and conducted some solar studies to see what effect the sun has throughout a normal day (both for summer and winter solstices). We’ve been able to add additional vertical screening to each end of the pergola framing, to ensure that the new deck can be protected from both the early morning, and harsh afternoon sun.

Shading

Effective shading is required to reduce summer heat gains, improve comfort and save energy. In winter the sun from the north is at a lower angle where it can penetrate into the home and provide free heating. Prominda’s unique building system, means that we can add eaves up to 1200mm wide to maximise protection from that hot summer sun – on any elevation.

*Use of eaves for solar control (yourhome.gov.au)*

Solar Passive Heating

Passive Solar Energy is the use of solar energy by passive means to reduce the heating demand of a building. A “passive” solar house provides cooling and heating to keep the home comfortable without the use of any mechanical equipment such as pumps, fans or air conditioners. We use a thick 10mm ‘Foilboard’ wrap on all our homes, which protects the steel from direct exposure to heat/thermal bridging through the framework, as well as providing additional insulation to that in our walls. This wrap also ensures that our buildings are super air tight, meaning that any heating and cooling within the home is not wasted.

*‘Foilboard’ used to wrap all our homes (Prominda Homes)*

At Prominda, we look at design of the passive solar building and consult with you about the local climate and perform an accurate site analysis for your particular site. Some elements we consider are window placement, size and glazing type, thermal insulation, thermal mass and shading. All passive solar design techniques can be applied to our homes to create maximum passive solar gain.

To discuss the benefits of solar passive design, contact our team today!

USING THE SUN TO YOUR ADVANTAGE

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