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%.
Insulation and airtight construction are critical for a solar passive home. The design takes advantage of all natural resources to capture and use the sun’s energy in the most efficient manner. The design incorporates as few active systems, solar or otherwise, to generate power.
Did you know that according to the U. S. EIA (Energy Information Administration), 76% of all the electricity power generated is used to generate power for buildings? And those buildings are responsible for 48% of all the yearly greenhouse gas emissions.
Wow…what do you suppose it would be like if all new construction building…individual homes and commercial buildings…were planned to take maximum advantage of a solar passive energy design? Can you even begin to contemplate how much reduction that would mean in the amount of greenhouse gases emitted annually?
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.”
Fossil fuel energy costs in the United States have remained affordable. As a result, homeowners have continued to opt for “tried and true” conventional energy systems. What’s becoming more widely known, however, is that passive solar energy designs add only 5 to 10 percent to construction costs. With the cost of oil, gas and coal rising rapidly, homeowners will increasingly see how quickly a passive solar home is, overall, the lower priced option.
Perhaps another deterrent to moving with passive solar home construction in the United States is an old, carry-over belief system still lingering from the 1970′s. Then, in order to construct a passive solar home you had to have a special architect, and a solar engineer who would do a series of calculations, and provide them to the architect to incorporate before construction could begin. Now, however, enough is known about the basics of passive solar home construction for any knowledgeable person to find enough information to design a solar home. With plenty of tools to guide the homebuilder, you can find many available blueprints and prefabricated homes to construct a passive solar home on your site.
In recent years, Europe, experiencing significant price increases in non-renewable energy, has taken the lead in solar passive home construction. They are currently definitely in the lead in the global drive to reduce world fossil fuel dependence, and in reducing man’s devastating environmental footprint.
Although nowhere near Europe currently in terms of solar option popularity, the United States is, in fact, making strides. According to a recent Solar Energy Industries Association news release: “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.”
What this means is there’s good news for anyone who wants to “go green.” It’s an affirmation that solar energy, including passive solar energy homes, is on the rise everywhere.
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.
Looking to find out all you can about solar passive homes then visit www.HomeSolarPowerExplained.com to find the best advice on home solar power for you.
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