passive solar design?

[knuckledragger]

I have not been able to attend the class yet, but I was wondering if any of the techniques taught work well with passive solar design, or if any of the stock plans employ passive solar design? Just curious.

Jim

[rocklock]

IMHO passive solar is a catchword for a whole bunch of stuff starting with orientation on the home on the lot, window location and size, over hang of the eaves, thermal mass (which logs have a bunch of), reflection and a bunch of small stuff with in the house...
Short answer - no I don't remember passive solar being mentioned, but you can't ignore the thermal mass of the logs...
In my design, the sun gets over the trees about 9 in the morning and stays all day. I have a pond that reflects into the home area... I will have stone and other thermal mass stuff to further reflect and radiate heat... I am also planning a small greenhouse and thermal recirculation.
My only problem is my home may get too hot! so I am also thinking about a thermal chimney to provide some cooling during the few months that Washington get too hot...
Hope this helps...
Dave

[JeffandSara]

Hi, Jim--

I agree with Dave, there's plenty of potential for using passive solar principles in your LHBA-style home, though I don't specifically remember Skip talking about that. When we were designing our home and deciding on site orientation, etc., it was definitely something we had in mind. The thermal mass benefits are, of course, pretty much innate. But there's no question that thoughtful design and orientation can increase/improve your passive solar benefits.

Our home is in a cool and intermittently snowy winter/hot summer area, and we have no trouble keeping it warm in the winter and cool all summer long. We're currently having a heatwave, and the house has been completely pleasant, no problems. (So I imagine, Dave, you probably won't have as much problem with heat as you worry you will, though you're doing a lot more specific passive solar stuff than we did. :D ) As a matter of fact, I can't ever remember the house being "hot", and it's not been cold either, since the first two months after we finished the exterior chinking and started heating it with our woodstove.

Our two cents. :D

Sara