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Passive solar design is one of the simplest ways to improve your home’s value and save electricity at the same time.

Passive solar design is a smart way of using the natural heat and light from the sun in your home. This is usually done by using various building materials and concepts to efficiently heat and cool your home. The advantage of using passive solar design is that it is rather easy to use, it needs minimal maintenance, its reduces your energy consumption, while increasing your home’s market value.

When working out the passive solar potential of your home, you need to consider how it was built and what materials is was built from. The ideal position for your home would be either be on flat land or on a sun-facing slope. Also, in suburban areas, any trees nearby should be deciduous to shade your home in summer, and let through the sunlight in winter.

For any new building, it is best to build it so that the length faces the sun. Another factor determining your home’s potential for natural light and heat is the shape, type and size of windows you use.

So how does the sun heat your home? There are three ways:

1) Direct gain - direct heat from the sun shining on a surface.

2) Indirect gain - radiated heat from objects heated by the sun.

3) Isolated - caused from the air movement in your home.

The get the most out the the above 3 heat sources, you should try install large windows on the sun-facing side of your home, as this will allow the most sunlight in.

All that sunlight and heat in your home is useless, if it cannot be stored and used when the sun is set. The solution is to use heat-absorbent flooring and walls that carry on radiating heat long into the night. A simple way to reduce power cost in winter is to locate to rooms in your house that get the most sunshine at certain times of day. Also, shady rooms should be cut-off (their doors closed) from the rest of the house to retain heat better.

During summer, the right length roof overhangs or eaves can be used to control the amount sunlight and heat in your home. The eaves should be wide enough shade out the intense midday sun, but let the let low-angle sunlight through during dusk and dawn to light up and warm the home. Again, the right trees and shrubs can be planted to regulate the house’s seasonal exposure to the sun.

For current buildings, the simplest passive solar design solution is to replace your windows with modern ones, that use various methods to store up 50% more heat. Although they are 10% to 15% more expensive, they pay for themselves in the long-term from all the power saved to heat your home.

These modern windows are known as double-glazed or Low-Emissivity (Low-E) windows. They are great at letting through sunlight and keeping radiant heat from escaping. Some them are made from 2 panes of glass, with a gap of krpyton or argon gas in between to store the sun’s heat. Just make sure your windows and doors are tightly-sealed, and it will prevent any warmth from escaping your home.

What also has an effect is the type of window frames you have. Wooden, fiberglass and vinyl window frames are better insulators as opposed to metal frames that conduct the heat too well. When it comes to buying your windows, make sure they are officially labeled either by Energy Start or the National Fenestration Rating Council (for the U.S.). These two bodies give ratings on how energy efficient and effective the windows are, making it easier for you to buy the right windows for your climate and budget.

So you can see, passive solar design is the effective use of nature and physics to maximize the use of the sun’s natural lighting and heat. Always remember, the point of solar passive design is to reduce your electricity usage and bills. So it is recommended to always weigh up the costs against the potential power savings when installing any passive solar solution at home.

While passive solar design is one way of reducing your energy costs, another is to build your own solar/wind power system. Learn how you can do this for under $200 by trying Earth4Energy for FREE and start saving up to 80% on your energy bills. Or, read the full Earth4Energy Review first.