Solar Houses

PASSIVE SOLAR HOUSES Central Valley , CA

	1. This interpretive demonstration house employs passive solar strategies to maintain thermal comfort year round. Southern orientation and shading of windows protects interior spaces from the Central Valley's hot summer sun while taking advantage of low angle winter rays for heating. Temperature moderating thermal heat-sink water tanks are cooled by night ventilation, rendering refrigeration air conditioning unnecessary. In the same way, these tanks collect winter sun to heat the home in winter. High ceilings make the most of uplifting natural light. While the suncatcher house is adapted to a lowland Mediterranean climate with cool nighttime breezes in summer, passive solar techniques can be applied to buildings for alpine and coastal environments, producing similarly environmentally responsible and energy conserving spaces.
	2. Cool pool home #2, shown in this drawing is designed for the hottest Mediterranean. This climate does not benefit from cooling night breezes in summer. Instead, the home relies on the cooling power of the night sky and the climate-moderating qualities of water. A shaded pool of water on the home's roof is connected to sealed tanks of water inside the house. On a hot day, the water in the tanks and pool are heated by the sun at a much slower rate than air and less thermally massive building materials. At night, warmed water on the rooftop pool radiates heat to the cold sky. Surface water sinks to the bottom of the pool as it cools, traveling downward to the sealed pipes inside the house. As this water cools and sinks, it displaces lighter, warmer, water from the top of the tanks, which is pushed back out into the rooftop cool pool. This process of convection cools the water tanks inside the house overnight and stores this coolth throughout the day. In winter, these same tanks collect and retain solar heat to moderate interior temperatures.
	3. This single-family home in Chico, California is tailored to fit the microclimate of the northern Central Valley. The roof of the living room and dining area acts as a moveable lid that is opened and closed according to the season. On winter days, the lid stays open, reflecting low-angle solar rays through a giant skylight and into the heart of the house. At night, the lid is closed for optimum insulation. In the summer, skylights are replaced with insect screens so that the lid can be opened at night to ventilate the entire house and radiate interior heat to the cold night sky. In this way, the entire house becomes a screened porch, comfortable for sleeping and late summer dinners. Trellises planted with deciduous vines shade windows on summer days while leaving them clear for solar collection in winter. Thus, interior spaces are in constant interaction with the exterior, continuing the long tradition of California outdoor living.
	4. These photographs depict several examples of passive solar techniques applied to low-cost and cooperative houses in Davis, California. These houses are affordable both to build and maintain, making the best use of winter sun for heating and cool delta breezes for summer cooling. These houses provide occupants with high-quality natural light and ventilation as well as practical and comfortable living spaces. Dos Pinos Housing Co-op (bottom right) features condominium-style units that share common park space and swimming pool. They are part of Senda Nueva, a neighborhood development planned for solar houses that face on an extensive greenbelt of parks, wildlife marshes, and paths for bicycle and pedestrian traffic.