subject: Why You Should Consider A Solar Passive Home [print this page] Let's start out with what a solar passive home is. A solar passive home is one that is designed to maintain heat, and light, at a comfortable temperature throughout the day (and night) and throughout the year using the building design in concert with the sun as the primary power source. It is estimated that a good passive home design can cut heating energy consumption by up to 90%.
Well insulated and air tight, solar passive home designs work with all the natural resources available to capture sunlight, and its energy, efficiently. Active power systems are minimized or non-existent in solar passive homes.
Currently the U. S. Energy Information Administration says that buildings are responsible for 48% of all greenhouse gas emissions annually...and...76% of all the electrical power generated is for buildings.
Just think for a moment...how much we could reduce those numbers just with new construction for individual homes and commercial buildings...by taking full advantage of solar passive energy designed buildings. What do you suppose the positive effect of that would be on the amount of greenhouse gases emitted every year?
As it is, solar passive homes are not being built in massive numbers across the United States, although Ecohome magazine reports that "retrofits, solar power and water conservation [are] seen as some of the top issues this year."
With fossil fuels still relatively cheap in the United States, many homeowners have eschewed solar alternatives in favor of lower-priced options. However, with an added construction cost of only 5 to 10 percent, and energy costs of oil, gas and coal rising rapidly, passive solar homes will soon be the lower-priced option.
A lingering belief system from the 1970's, when passive solar home construction first found a toehold in the United States, may still be holding back progress in this area. Then, everyone thought a passive solar home couldn't be constructed without a special architect and a solar engineer to consult every step of the way during construction. Today, that's not only a false belief, it's totally non-factual. Now, not only can you find prefabricated passive solar energy homes ready to be set on your site, you can also get many suitable blueprints. In fact, the average homebuilder can find the right tools and guidance for construction, with or without an architect's assistance.
Jumping to the lead, Europe has been busy building thousands of solar passive homes in recent years. Hit harder and faster with escalating coal, gas and oil prices, they are leading the global drive to diminish fossil fuel dependence, along with our ever increasing carbon impact on global warming.
I don't want to diminish, however, the progress made by the United States. The Solar Energy Industries Associates said in a news release at the end of 2009, "The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) today released the 2009 U.S. Solar Industry Year in Review, finding 2009 to be another year of strong growth despite the economic recession. Overall U.S. solar electric capacity, including both photovoltaic and concentrating solar power installations, increased by 37 percent. This was driven primarily by strong demand in the residential and utility-scale markets, state and federal policy advances and declining technology prices. As a result, total solar industry revenue reached $4 billion, a 36 percent increase over 2008."
So, if you want to move to "greener" pastures...or buildings...this is yet another indicator that says the solar industry, and passive solar building, is on the rise.
If you check the number of "green" builders in your yellow pages across cities and towns all over the United States, you'll see how quickly the list is growing. The U. S. may not be at the same level as Europe yet, but there's no doubt the sunshine is spreading its warmth, in a whole new way.
There are so many incentives now...a national commitment to reduce greenhouse emissions...rising energy costs...tax credits and rebates. With all of these solar passive homes are certain to increase in popularity. And why not...only a fool would ignore what's good for both the goose and gander.
