Solar energy can be a good thing or a bad thing. It depends on where you live (i.e., the climate and weather regime) and how you address solar influences. You can save some money, feel more comfortable and even improve life on planet Earth.
As energy costs rise, homeowners need to consider ways to reduce heating and cooling costs. And a common way of doing this is to consider passive or active solar systems for your home. For the purposes of this article, I am going to focus on passive systems here (ones that do not require any mechanical or electrical support to move, convert or otherwise process the solar energy).
The most obvious passive solar approach is to effectively use or block the sun. If you live in a warmer climate, blocking the sun is paramount, especially during summer. Using double glazing windows for example (ones that reduce direct and radiative heat transfer), installing blinds or curtains to reflect the sunlight, and planting deciduous trees on the correct side of the home, will all help keep sunlight out. If you live in a northern climate, in winter, the use of deciduous trees becomes an equally important. While the leaves will block the sun in summer, during winter when the branches are bare, the sunlight can warm your home.
If at any stage you need to replace windows in your home, you should consider double or triple glazed windows, that have one or more air layers sandwiched between glass panes. This will lessen conduction, and their reflective coatings are primarily needed for southern facing windows.
But, if your windows are still functional, give some thought to putting some reflective material on the windows. It will also offer privacy while still allowing you to look out, almost as though there was not reflective material present.
If the outside of your home requires painting, and you live in a warmer climate, you should consider using lighter paint colors. These will reflect sunlight. In colder places, darker colors will allow for absorption of sunlight. This also applies to floor coverings (tiles, carpets, floors and rugs) and to roof tiles and/or shingles.
If you have a swimming pool, consider using a solar pool cover. This won’t make your pool really warm, but it can help take out the chill and extend your swimming season by several weeks. However, the downside is that it takes work to place it over the pool and remove it when you plan to use the pool.
Although not strictly a passive solar approach, you should also consider what happens when the sun heats up your attic. If you don’t have many exhaust outlets, the heat can easily build up during the day. If your attic insulation is too thin (or non-existent), the heat is easily transferred down into the living space.
In summary, whatever you can do to either use or limit solar energy will improve the comfort of your home, help the environment, and also save you money!
Dan Carter is a reviewer at Easy Home Energy, a blog dedicated to helping you produce solar energy at home.
Article Source: U Publish Articles
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