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At this time of year, few people need to be reminded of how powerful the sun is. Most of us spend our summer days looking for ways to be as comfortable as possible; that means avoiding the sun. Yet when one stops to think of what is happening around us that is making us uncomfortable, one realizes how valuable the sun can be as a heating source. Essentially, we experience the power and effectiveness of radiant heating. When the cooler months arrive, the ability to exploit the sun’s power would go a long way toward making one’s house and checkbook a little more comfortable. Since comfort is the key issue, it helps to understand what heating systems enable us to be as comfortable as possible. The price we pay for comfort is enormous. Since comfort is basically the loss or gain of body heat, it is easy to see how comfort depends on a number of factors. We have all experienced the sensation of standing in the sunshine on a 95 degree summer day. Once we step into the shade, which may be only ten degrees cooler, we feel cool and maybe even chilled. The sun heats everything, the ground, the water and the air. Yet in the shade, when not being subjected to the power of radiant solar heat, the cooler ground, water and air make us feel more comfortable. Similarly, in a home that uses forced air during the winter, although the air may be 75 degrees, if the floors are cold we feel uncomfortable. Since the idea is to be as comfortable as possible at the lowest cost, buildings designed in such a way that they incorporate passive solar techniques have a clear advantage over conventional structures. Passive solar design offers the homeowner many advantages. The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) study on passive solar homes has shown that people in these homes, “experience an equivalent comfort sensation when the air is at 65 degree F as in a conventional home with a 72 degree F air temperature. In addition, temperatures change very slowly (in a passive solar home) resulting in less physical stress than in a building with the same average temperature but with abrupt or cyclic variations.” Passive solar homes afford better light and lower energy costs than conventionally designed dwellings. A well designed passive solar home may be no more difficult to live in than a standard home. As the Illinois Department of Energy and Natural Resources has shown in a three year study on the subject, passive solar design adds almost nothing to the cost of a building (5-10%) while saving the occupants 50-60% of energy costs required to run it. Ideally, widespread solar design could help free the U.S. from fossil fuel dependence. This is not feasible today, and may not be for a long time to come. What is possible however, is for passive solar design to free individuals one building at a time from high energy costs. Passive solar design provides additional light, air and comfort for the people who live and work in the building. As the DOE pointed out, “these factors not only make the house more pleasant, but they will not change during the next energy crisis.”
Article Source: http://www.bestglobalwarmingarticles.com
Bulletin: Pennsylvania Energy Center, Region I
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