The Basics of Passive Solar Home Design

The sun is a natural and reliable source of energy. Solar Energy can be used to create electricity, heat buildings, heat water, distill water, cook food, dry food, dry clothes, and power electric vehicles. This course will focus on how the sun can heat homes by incorporating basic Passive Solar design strategies to provide from 20-90% of a home’s heating needs with little cooling penalties. Passive Solar energy can lower heating bills and allow PV (photovoltaic) systems to be downsized. Learn how the movement of the sun, siting, building shape, window placement, overhangs, porches, building mass, and insulation work together to warm and brighten homes
The course assumes that the attendee will have a grasp of basic building science such as the homes envelope, R-values, insulation, HVAC basics, and air tightness. If you do not, please complete the pt 1 - 3 of the Basics of Residential Green Building in Energy here • Basics of Residential ...
Learning Objectives:
1. Be able to describe how the seasonal movement of the sun affects various building surfaces throughout the year to bring in natural heat and light to improve the physical and mental health of occupants
2. Be able to use one web-based tools to quantify of Passive Solar energy for winter heat through south-facing windows to increase the well-being of occupants with a safer, more resilient home during extreme cold periods and how that ties into LEED BD+C V4 and v4.1 Residential Annual Energy Use
3. Be able to explain how siting, building shape, window placement, overhangs, porches, building mass, and insulation aids in cooling by minimizing summer solar gain while keeping the home safe during power outages and how that ties into LEED BD+C V4 and v4.1 Residential Annual Energy Use
4. Understand how the amount of insulation affects the percentage of a home’s heating load that can be provided from free, Passive Solar energy from the sun and how that ties into LEED BD+C V4 and v4.1 Residential Annual Energy Use
Continuing Education Units (CEUS) 2 hours in
• Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI)
• Building Performance Institute (BPI) NonWholeHouse
• American Institute of Architects - AIA (HSW) (PENDING)
• Certified Green Professional (NARI & CGP)
• Certified GreenHome Professional (CGHP)
• AIBD
• State Architect / Builder License may be applicable
Need CEUS?
Take the Quiz here:
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Speakers:
Debbie Coleman, Architect, AIA: Debbie founded Sun Plans which provides passive solar home design throughout the U.S. She authored The Sun-Inspired House and has designed hundreds of homes incorporating passing heating and cooling strategies. Her work has been published in Fine Homebuilding, Mother Earth News, and Home Power. As a licensed architect for over 25 years, Debbie has designed hundreds of Passive Solar homes across the United States and Canada in many climate zones. She obtained a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Arizona, published a book on Passive Solar design - The Sun-Inspired House: home designs warmed and brightened by the sun. The book and her design philosophies incorporate Passive Solar Design Strategies; Guidelines for Home Building developed by NREL, and are continuously evolving to adapt to low-energy construction methods, climate changes, and housing technologies. Her work has been published in Fine Homebuilding, Home Energy, Mother Earth News, Solar Today and Home Power. Debbie serves on the board of directors for ASES (American Solar Energy Society), the ASES Solar Buildings Technical Division, and the steering committees for both the National Solar Tour and the National Solar Conference. She is a LEED GA and member of AIA. She loves the outdoors with the ever-changing skies and enjoys the challenges of bringing natural light into right-sized, practical, sun-inspired low-energy homes
Orlo Stitt, Passive Solar Builder: Orlo founded The Stitt Group, a design/build company. He has built hundreds of passive solar homes and developed South Sun Estates on the Lake, an energy-planned passive solar subdivision. He is a Certified Green Professional, former HERS Rater, and author of the recent publication Holistically Green Homes.