Free Heat: Heating and cooling buildings entirely with ambient energy

Throughout history, buildings have been heated and cooled by ambient energy from the sun, air, ground and sky. Sun shining through windows makes nearly every building at least partially passive solar heated. Before mechanical air conditioning, ventilation and evaporative cooling were prevalent. Over the past century, a few pioneers pushed the technology to reach 100% ambient conditioning in several historic homes.
Today, the science is available to reach this goal in buildings across the US. This course will discuss the balance of envelope losses, internal heat gains, solar gains and thermal mass that leads to 100% ambient conditioning. The effect of local weather will be compared.
The target audience for this course are architects, engineers and homeowners who are motivated to reduce energy costs and carbon emissions and increase resilience to power outages. Basic knowledge of passive solar heating and passive cooling is helpful, but not essential.
This session is part 3 of our ongoing passive solar series. While it is not required or necessary you have viewed the other courses, you can watch part 1 our introduction to passive solar here
• The Basics of Passive ...
and part 2 our advanced solar session here.
• Advanced Passive Solar...
Continuing Education Units (CEUS) submitted 1 hour in*
• Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI)
• Building Performance Institute (BPI) NonWholeHouse
• American Institute of Architects - AIA (HSW)
• Certified Green Professional (NARI & CGP)
• Certified GreenHome Professional (CGHP) Pillar(s): Energy, Materials, Health
• American Institute of Building Designers (AIBD)
• State Architect / Builder License may be applicable
• Building Science Institute (BSI) Verifier
• Society of American Registered Architects (SARA)
• Certified Passive House Consultant (CPHC)
Lessons Learned
1. *Understand* the importance of ambient energy sources for heating and cooling to improve human health by creating healthier indoor environments with better air quality and temperature regulation.
2. *Analyze* the safety benefits of achieving 100% ambient conditioning in buildings, which can reduce reliance on mechanical systems and mitigate risks associated with power outages and equipment failures.
3. *Introduce* modern super-insulation techniques that not only enhance energy efficiency but also promote welfare by making living spaces more comfortable and affordable to maintain.
4. *Articulate* the value of decarbonization through ambient conditioning as a pathway to energy equity, ensuring access to sustainable resources for all communities, thereby fostering societal welfare.
Need CEUS?
Take the Quiz here:
Speaker: Keith Sharp
M. Keith Sharp, Emeritus Professor, ASME Fellow, PE, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Louisville (UL), received a BS from the University of Cincinnati in 1976, MS from Colorado State University (CSU) in 1978 and ScD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1987, all in Mechanical Engineering. He was Director of the Renewable Energy Applications Laboratory at UL and is a past chair of the Solar Energy Division of ASME. He studied stratification in solar thermal storage at CSU. Current research includes heating and cooling of buildings entirely by ambient sources of energy. He has published articles in Solar Energy, the Journal of Ambient Energy, the Journal of Solar Energy Engineering, the Journal of Engineering for Sustainable Buildings and Cities, the International Journal of Sustainable Energy, the Journal of Energy, the Journal of Energy Engineering, and Solar Today. He has designed and built a number of ambient-conditioned homes. His current home is entirely heated by passive solar, except for occasional fires in a fireplace, and entirely cooled by nighttime ventilation. He has developed software for simulating ambient-conditioned buildings that is easy to use for architects and builders during the predesign phase. Such early energy analysis helps ensure performance of the final building.

[@ocko8011]

A fantastic presentation of a complicated subject with data from built real-world structures.
The key distinction between a regular and passive house is the amount and understanding of available data.
There is a great need to include more atmospheric moisture data in designing longevity into passive homes.
Thank you Green Home Institute!

[@GreenHomeInstitute]

Yes we are so grateful for our amazing volunteer speakers

[@ssketchup72]

I want to express my gratitude to M Keith Sharp, ScD, PE for his informative presentation and for sharing his invaluable experiences. Special thanks to Brett Little and GreenHome Institute for providing this fantastic webinar.

[@brandonholland1150]

Just the term night sky radiator was cool enough for a like

[@free-heat]

Thanks! Night sky radiation is an underutilized technology with tremendous potential.

[@dwilliamsnetosnet]

need to include industrial hemp and hemp lime walls in the ambient disucssion

[@free-heat]

Thanks for your comment. This presentation was intended to discuss the broad building characteristics that lead to 100% ambient-conditioning. There are a number of specific strategies for achieving such characteristics, including hemp. Perhaps the basis for another presentation!