Solar Space Heating

Space heating using the sun can be either "passive" or "active." Passive solar design is by far the most energy efficient means of home heating, but it is also the most complex from a home design perspective. The basic concept is to arrange rooms, windows and outside shade to provide the correct amount of heat in the winter months, while also limiting the amount of sunlight during the summer months. Simpler to say than to do, but the payoff is considerable even if the design is only partically successful.

Active solar heating is also a possibility and may be employed along with passive solar design. An active heating system uses a solar hot water system as a source of sensible heat that is then released in the house interior either through a forced air system, as in a normal furnace, or using a "hydronic" heating coils embedded in the floor. Typically, heat storage in the form of a rock bin or a large volume water pool is used to store excess heat until it is needed.

See Solar Hot Water for a discussion of solar water heating, as the same system can be employed for active space heating.