Building Section showing Passive Solar Design

Here is a building section through Turtle's Hope's showing how Passive Solar Design works. You can see a enlarged drawing by double clicking on the drawing above. Per the drawing you can see the sun's angles during June 21st are shaded by the 2'-6" overhangs on the house and on December 21st the sun's angles are not blocked by the overhangs. How does this help you might wonder! During the summer by shading the the hot summers sun it actually help cool the home by keeping the sun from entering through the windows. During the winter it has the opposite effect the sun is now let in to the home which is then store during the day through Thermal Masses such as the tile floor with Gyp-Crete underneath in the Sun Room. The Dinning Room also has windows going out to the Sun Room this will also act as a way to let more heat into the center of the home during the day. In the evening as the sun goes down the the thermal mass releases back the warm that it stored during the day. We add Hunter Douglas Duette Honeycomb blinds to all windows to insulate the windows from heat loss. Meaning the blinds keep the heat inside the home by insulating the window so the heat is not lost out them at night time. Energy Star Ceiling fan are also used to help cool the home during the summer and to help circulate the heat during the winter. For more information on Passive Solar Design read The Solar House by Daniel D. Chiras.