Does this mean that all houses with large picture windows facing south should be considered solar?
No! A house should only be considered solar if it designed to gain more energy than it loses. Although it is true that a house with a large picture window would have a heat gain during the day, the heat losses during the evening would cancel the thermal benefits. To be considered solar such a house would need to have adequate thermal drapes drawn each evening. Which design is better, active or passive? Good question. I hear or read about this concern almost every day on news groups, mailing lists and discussion groups. The argument goes like this: Passive Solar Passive systems are better because they are simple, inexpensive and waste no energy in the heat transfer process. Active Solar Active systems are better because they isolate the collection area from the storage area to minimize heat loss and provide better control of living space temperature fluctuations. Sounds like a fair argument; now answer the question. Both arguments are viable. Generally speaking passive systems are less
