PASSIVE HEATING
What is Passive Heating?
Passive heating :
-refers to technologies or design features
used to heat buildings without power
consumption.
-building design attempts to integrate the
principles of physics into building exterior
envelope to:
*speed up heat transfer into a building
5 elements of Passive Solar
Heating:
Aperture- the large glass area, usually a window,
through which sunlight enters the building. Typically, the
aperture faces within 30 degrees of true south and
should avoid being shaded by other buildings or trees
between 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day during the heating
session
Absorber- a hard, darkened surface of the storage
element, is the second element of the design. The
surface sits in the direct path of the sunlight, which hits
the surface and is absorbed as heat
Thermal mass-the materials that retain or store the
heat produced by the sunlight. Unlike the absorber, which
is in the direct path of the sunlight, the thermal mass is
the material below or behind the absorber’s surface
5 elements of Passive Solar
Heating:
Distribution- the method by which solar
heat circulates from the collection and
storage points to the different areas of the
house
Control- During the summer months, roof
overhangs are used to shade the aperture.
Other elements can be used to control the
under- and/or overheating include electronic
sensing devices, operable vents and
dampers, low-emissivity blinds, and
awnings.
Some concepts to help you
achieve passive heating:
Direct Solar
Gain Direct gain is the heat from
the sun being collected and
contained in an occupied
space. Direct solar gain is
important for any site that
needs heating, because it is
the simplest and least costly
way of passively heating a
building with the sun.
Avoiding direct solar gain is
also important in hot sunny
climates.
Massing & Orientation for
Heating
Massing and orientation
are important design
factors to consider for
passive heating. Consider
these factors early in the
design so that the surface
areas exposed to sun at
different times of day,
building dimensions, and
building orientation can all
be optimized for passive
comfort.
Thermal Mass
Thermal mass is a
material's resistance to
change in temperature.
Objects with high
thermal mass absorb
and retain heat.
Thermal mass is crucial
to good passive solar
heating design,
especially in locations
that have large swings
of temperature from day
to night.
Trombe Wall and Attached
Sunspace
A Trombe wall is a system
for indirect solar heat gain
that is a good example of
thermal mass, solar gain,
and glazing properties
used together to achieve
human comfort goals
passively. It consists of a
dark colored wall of
high thermal mass facing
the sun, with glazing
spaced in front to leave a
small air space.
Apertures for Heating
Windows and other
apertures bring in
heat from sunshine,
but can also lose heat
by radiant cooling and
by conducting heat
better than most wall
or roof constructions.
Apertures and shading
must be intelligently
placed to take
advantage of the
sun's heat in cold
locations and seasons,
Shading for Solar Heat
gain
Shades can
keep the heat
and glare of
direct sun from
coming through
windows. They
can also keep
direct sunlight
off of walls or
roofs, to reduce
cooling loads.
