subject: Lower Your Energy Bills With Passive Solar Design Of Your Granny Flats [print this page] Lower Your Energy Bills With Passive Solar Design Of Your Granny Flats
Granny flats are an economical way of residing close to a family member or friend while keeping your privacy. These small but comprehensive dwellings are fully equipped with all essentials of a compact house. Granny flats can be simply constructed or have certain inclusions to make them more comfortable or even luxurious. Another major development that can be done to the new or existing granny flats is the introduction of a passive solar design. This makes the granny flats more economical as there can be huge savings on energy bills. The passive solar design is orientated towards making the following simple changes that enable the collection, storage and distribution of solar energy in a way that it keeps the home cool in summers and warm in winters. And all this is done simply by designing the windows, walls and floors in a specific manner. There is no need for any mechanical and electrical devices for this purpose. The main considerations in a passive solar design are geared towards the following:Window location - Window position is very critical for the passive solar design. Most and larger windows should be on the north side to that the sunlight in winters can penetrate deep into the interior and keep the home warm in a natural way. Smaller and glazed windows to east and west will restrict the harsh summer sunlight that comes in during morning and afternoon. For adequate light and ventilation, the south windows can be adequate. The choice of window shades, eaves, louvers or awnings can also be decided depending on the extent of temperature. Window design and positioning - The design of the windows can such that cross ventilation is facilitated for natural cooling. They should be positioned so that excess internal summer heat can be flushed out by the summer breezes. Assessments are made by the building construction companies to incorporate this feature. Flooring - The breeze pathways are affected by the flooring plans of the house. Appropriate flooring will make it easier for the breeze to cool the home naturally in summer. Insulation - Walls and floors can be insulated with special materials to store the heat from the sun that can be later distributed and circulated through conduction, convection, and radiation. Other measures - There can be shades installed in various places of the home exteriors to prevent heat penetrating in summers. The courtyard and planting can be also be used effectively to block, trap or redirect breezes. The passive solar design is very beneficial for the granny flats as this can reduce the energy bills considerably without much investment. These changes in designs can be made during construction and can also be incorporated to an already existing structure.
