Energy Efficient, Passive solar Home

This video shows how well an energy efficient home can work with nothing but the suns energy. No heat is installed and the house has not dropped below freezing, even when the temps went down to -4.5F and no sun the house only went down to 41.9F

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• energy efficient home
• passive solar home
• geothermal heating
• trombe wall
• water filled windows
• solar energy
• passive solar

[CosmicWabbit42]

I cant see how water between the window panes would be better than an air gap that would provide much higher insulative value, letting the light come into the house, and heat the interior surface, rather than having the windows reflect away a ton of light, and then have the windows absorb more heat, which is right next to the cold outside air.

[eebuilder]

The water is not designed to insulate but as thermal mass absorbing the suns energy and storing it well into the night. Watch the video "Trombe wall? windows? the best of both worlds" that has a better explaination of how the windows work and explaination of Btu storage potential. Also shows how little heat actually escaped outward.

[challenger1111111]

What do you do to the windows in the summer when you are trying to keep the house cool???

[eebuilder]

Exterior solar shades will be used along the south facing windows. These exterior shades, will block 70% of the solar heat gains. The window developer, is also a window shade inventor and was the guy who invented the honeycomb insulating shades back in the 70's. He has continued to work on ways to improve how windows, shades and light can add or detract value from your home. Wendell Colson, VP of Research and Development for Hunter Douglas, one of the largest shade manufactures in the US.

[eebuilder]

The water is not in contact with the outer glass, there is a seperate outer glazing and an air gap between the water blocks. Same principle as a trombe wall.

[eebuilder]

The geothermal heat pump is fully capable of heating this house without any other source of energy. No the house will not maintain 70deg F without sun and no other source of heat. ergo a heatpump to provide that heat. The design heat loss for this house is 20,000 Btu's/Hr at zero degree outside temps. The 3 ton heat pump is capable of putting out 28,000 Btu's/Hr. Not rocket science just plain math.

[werigh]

Can you heat a house with a geothermal heat pump alone? I doubt it. But that does not answer my first and more important (IMHO) question: Can the house maintain comfortable (70 deg. F.) temperature If there is no sun for three days? I really need to know!

[Custodio1701]

He said it at 2:55 min. "GEOTHERMAL HEAT PUMP"

[werigh]

Say it's the middle of winter and there's no sun for three days. Can the house maintain comfortable (70 deg. F.) temperature? If not, what kind of back up heating system do you use?

[eebuilder]

The coldest temperature recorded in the water in the windows was 48F. That was only after 3 consecutive days with no sun and highs in the 18-22F and lows down to -4.5F.