Whats the difference, if any, between Passive Houses and passive solar houses?
When folks hear the phrase “Passive House,” most think this is a “Passive Solar House,” but these are two different techniques. A passive solar home attempts to maximize solar heat gain throughout the day mainly through abundant south-facing glazed windows. Passive solar houses then attempt to store this heat into building components such as concrete floors, water tanks or trombe walls for use at night. On the other hand, a Passive House is less concerned about maximizing and storing passive solar heat gained during the day, but focuses instead on keeping whatever heat that is produced within the home in the house. Passive Houses focus more on the quality of the thermal envelope—and this is why many Passive Homes can be comfortably heated with just a 1000w hair dryer! Read more thoughts from Mark Miller on Passive House design!
