What is solar gain and how is it used in an Ecohouse?
Solar gain is the use of the sun’s energy and light. An Ecohouse is oriented to make the most of sunlight and heat through glazing on the southern aspect with less on the north side. Solid floors and walls absorb and store direct heat from the sun while south facing sun rooms and porches store warm air which can then be used to ventilate the rest of the house. We use Passivhaus software to fine tune the solar gain and heat loss through windows balance for each Ecohouse.
