What are passive solar and solar tempered home designs?
Passive solar and solar tempering refer to heating and cooling a house with non-mechanical systems that utilize natural forces such as the sun and wind. Passive or “integrated” design utilizes the relationships between building components such as south-facing windows and thermal mass. Windows should be oriented within ten degrees of true south. • Even small deviations from due south can cause significant increases in unwanted heat gain in the cooling months. • Southeast orientation is better than a southwest orientation in climates like Montana. • A rectangular building footprint with the long axis in the east-west orientation is best for passive solar designs. This maximizes southern exposure and minimizes east and west exposures. In the Montana climate, spring tends to be cool and fall tends to be warm and sunny. Overhangs and other shading devices are often designed as a compromise with intermediate-sized shading devices that permit greater sunlight in the spring and then assume tha
