Receiving without resistance is the definition of passive. It is also the main component of passive solar energy as a home receives the sun’s energy and does not resist. True passive solar energy means no moving parts…fans, pumps, mechanical or electrical elements are not required. In a solar passive home you will sometimes find fans to help distribute air evenly throughout the building space, but expect it to be solar powered.

No photovoltaics (PV’s) are part of the passive solar energy design. Instead, walls windows and floors are used to collect solar energy during the winter, and to make sure it’s evenly dispersed. The design elements generally include large south-facing windows for solar energy collection when the sun hits them. As the sun is collected, it’s then distributed and stored in some type of thermal mass…usually the concrete, tile, stone or brick in the walls and floors…or sometimes it’s stored in water. When the sun goes down, or it clouds over and gets cool, heat that’s been stored in the thermal mass will dissipate into the building, maintaining the same even temperature. Roof overhangs and awnings are used in passive solar design to reject heat from coming into a building during the summer.

Coming from Roman and Greek cultures, our passive solar home designs today very much mimic their work in calculating the best use of the sun’s energy.

Taking advantage of passive solar design made sense then, and it makes even greater sense now. Driven by diminishing wood supplies, upon which they had relied greatly for heat, the Greeks and Romans began to design passive solar energy homes to reduce their reliance on wood for heating. We can certainly learn and take advantage of what they discovered, and allow it to help us eliminate or supplement our need for non-renewable energy sources.

Passive solar energy is extremely clean. It’s also totally renewable and doesn’t emit greenhouse gases. By design, a passive solar energy home will maintain an even temperature throughout, and generally touted by homeowners as much cleaner and more comfortable than a comparable conventional system.

Passive solar hot water heaters are another way most passive solar home owners further decrease their energy bill, and their reliance on non-renewable resources. There are three basic types of passive solar water heaters: flat-plate, batch heaters, and evacuated tube heaters. Of these, batch heaters are the most prevalent and popular. Perhaps that is because batch heaters are fairly easy projects for the do-it-yourselfer. If you want to build your own, you’ll need to find an electric hot water tank…generally you can purchase either a salvaged one or find one that’s been disposed of in the dump. It will need to be thoroughly cleaned and sealed, and then painted black. Then, add new fittings and pipes to make sure you won’t have leaks later on. Construct a well-insulated plywood box, drill holes for the pipes to fit through, add aluminum foil or other metal for a reflectant, and place the tank inside, fitting the pipes through the holes. Cover the front of the box with glass or plexiglass, seal it, add water, and you’re ready go to. You may want a more detailed explanation, and there are a variety of plans available, but those are the basics.

Batch heaters, sometimes called breadbox heaters because of their design, can be used in stages as well. Utilizing more than one tank, and then taking advantage of the sun’s angle at various times of the day, the home owner can take advantage of the hottest water created by the sun’s rays. Flat plate and evacuated tube are also often found in solar passive homes, but their designs normally call for professional installation, and they can be less effective.

So…still looking for a few more benefits of going solar? Solar energy doesn’t contribute to global warning. Solar energy doesn’t won’t spill into the ocean and create miles and miles of oil slick to kill wildlife, pollute and damage fragile environmental ecosystems. There’s no acid rain, no smog that comes from using solar energy.

There are many “pros” to solar energy, as we are increasingly discovering…or should I say re-discovering?

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.