About Passive Solar

• The house plans on this website are passive solar (look for % of south glass listed for each plan for variations)
• Passive solar homes use the sun's heat to warm the inside of your home without panels on the roof or other mechanical devices
• The sun's energy is clean, healthy, and free
• Passive solar energy is good for you and the environment
• A properly designed passive solar home is warm in winter and cool in summer
• Our passive solar homes integrate well with active solar systems designed by others, which include panels on the roof for heating water and making electricity

Passive solar functions best in an home that is energy efficient with a well-designed mechanical system. It is part of the energy-efficient whole and should not be considered a stand-alone solution to saving energy. Our custom energy recommendations, which come with blueprint orders, assist you in creating an energy-efficient shell and giving recommendations on how best to obtain a properly designed mechanical system to supplement your passive solar energy.

Passive solar design revolves around two simple facts:

• In winter, the sun rises in the southeast, remains low in the southern horizon, and sets in the southwest. Only the south wall of the house receives full sun, and you want to let the direct sun rays into the house.
• In summer, the sun rises in the northeast, rises high overhead, and sets in the northwest. The east wall, roof, and west wall receive full sun, and you want to keep the direct sun rays out of the house.

The rest of this section of the web site will explain the principles of passive solar design and how our homes embody these principles. Click the "next: Solar Energy" link below to continue or order The Sun-Inspired House book to read about it in a comfy chair by a sunny window...

Our recently published 256 page book The Sun-Inspired House includes over 50 house plans plus 150 pages of educational information about passive solar, green building, energy-efficient construction, working with architects, case studies of built homes, photos, resources, etc!

next: Solar Energy

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