photo credit: Ed.ward

Passive solar water heater can be easily built as a do-it-yourself (DIY) project and they are fairly cheap to build. One can easily make one using a good solar water heater plan with other inexpensive raw materials which are usually available at home or in stores.

These hot water heaters are more dependable and are extremely economical in the long run.

Passive or Batch Water Heaters as they are also called do not use pumps or any other controls to transfer water. Instead, it uses gravity and other natural forces which circulates the water.

Generally a batch water heater consists of a a tank which is painted black to easily absorb the solar rays in the form of heat. This absorbed heat is used to heat the water stored in the tank. Also an insulated box is used to cover this tank so that the heat remains intact and does not cool down.

This pre-heated water is then passed via a conventional water heater for further heating if necessary.

In summers, the hot water collected in the solar tank itself is sufficient for domestic use and the conventional heater is not required then.

In winter, pre-heated water may be required to be heated again to the required temperature. Even if a conventional heater is put to use, since the water is pre-heated considerably, the amount of heating required by it is considerably less.

You can now easily see that passive solar heaters can easily fulfill the hot water demands of the household for most of part of the year without any further expenses.

For the remaining small part of the year, even if water needs to be heated using the conventional way, since the water is almost heated up, the expenses are going to be absolutely minimum as compared to the expenses borne by a household in heating cold water.

As is obvious by installing a solar hot water heater, you can easily save up to one-third of your energy costs.

About the Author:

For complete information building passive solar water heater plans, visit http://diy-solar-water-heater-review.blogspot.com

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – How To Build Homemade Passive Solar Water Heaters

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photo credit: Jeremy Levine Design

First, let’s make sure we’re clear that the subject of we’re talking about using *passive* solar energy. If on the other hand you’re interested in active solar power, read this article instead.

Passive solar has been known for centuries, and it could logically be referred to as the first basis of shelter. Passive solar uses straightforward design to harness the sun’s energy without any equipment. It allows the use of solar heat as solar heat, without loss of efficiency in converting from one kind of energy to another. A major advantage is that it can be done as part of a remodel, and it can be done in stages.

Facing the Sun (In the Northern Hemisphere)
The most elementary thing you can do, and most essential, is to install southern-facing windows to allow the low-angled winter sun to shine in. If the sun can’t make it in, there isn’t any solar heating at all. Most window glass allows the best sunlight penetration up to a 15 degree tilt from a southern exposure. At greater angles, most of the light will be reflected away.

Using Eaves and Overhangs
Good planning of sun angles can also be put to good advantage where winters are cold and summers hot, through the intelligent use of overhangs. A roof eave of just the right angle and dimensions, placed at the right distance above a southern-facing window will let the low winter sunlight to flood the interior, while it acts to block the high-angle summer sunlight to keep those same windows in the shade. If you’re so inclined, you can calculate these dimensions, and you’ll have lower heating and cooling bills thtoughout the whole year.

Using Thermal Mass
There’s no getting around the fact that the sun only shines during the day (unless you’re so far north or south that you get no sun at all in the winter, in which case the whole question is moot). If you’d like to keep your house heated during the night, you will need a way to buffer the sun’s energy. Install some thermal mass where the sun will warm it up when it can, and it will radiate heat at night. Thermal mass can be concrete covered in tile, preferably in a dark color, or anything else which will soak up the sun’s energy, then cool down slowly.

Protect The Heat You Capture
Don’t let it get away. Carefully insulate your walls, make sure all your windows are tight, and cover your windows with heavy drapes or thermal protective coatings.

About the Author:

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Planning a Remodel with Passive Solar Considerations

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photo credit: Fr Antunes

If you ever wanted to save electricity and improve the comfort of your home without using any high-tech gadgets, then passive solar design is the answer.

Passive solar design is a technique of using the sun to naturally heat and light up your home or office. This is achieved by using various building features and materials to improve heating and cooling efficiency. The best part about passive solar design is that it is relatively simple to implement, little maintenance is needed, and your home’s market value can increase considerably.

Your home’s passive solar potential is determined by where and how it is situated and by the types of windows and materials used. Although most buildings can be optimized to receive the ideal amount of sunshine, it is easier if they are on flat land or a sun-facing slope. If your home is surrounded by many trees, make sure they are deciduous so that they shade your home in summer, but their bare branches let sunlight through in winter. Also, try avoid nearby buildings that create too much shade.

When constructing a new home, make sure it is built so that the length of the house faces the sun, allowing the maximum amount of sunlight. Also note how the size, shape and placement of windows will determine the amount of natural heat and light in your home.

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

• Direct gain – direct heat from the sun shining on a surface.
• Indirect gain – radiated heat from objects heated by the sun.
• Isolated gain – determined by the airflow in your home.

To ensure the most natural heat from the above three sources, a number of large windows should be placed on the sun-facing side of your home, allowing maximum 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.

Double-glazed or Low-emissivity (Low-E) windows let solar heat in, but keep in the indoor radiant heat. Another way to reduce heat loss is to ensure tight seals around all windows or by using multiple panes that have gaps between them filled with argon or krypton gas.

What your windows are made from can make a big difference too. While metal framed windows generally conduct heat out the house, wood, vinyl and fiberglass frames insulate the heat better. Always ensure any modern windows bought have labels issued by Energy Star or the National Fenestration Rating Council. These labels provide statistics on how effective and efficient the windows are at retaining heat, which helps you purchase the right windows for your conditions 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.

About the Author:

Tim McDonald and his wife have been living off the grid since June 2008. If you want to learn to make your own power at home, get off the grid and save thousands on your electricity bills, then try Earth4Enegy for free start your first renewable energy project.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Understanding Passive Solar Design

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