THE HELIO THERMICS SOLAR-HEATED AND -COOLED HOUSE

Article Tools

Image Gallery

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

The double thickness of corrugated translucent sheeting that covers the Helio home's "solar absorber" is cross-laminated both to add rigidity and to increase the insulating value of the Filon panels. The first layer of the sheets was laid horizontally on the attic's south face and then the topping layer was run vertically (to better shed rain, snow, and other moisture). The half-inch-thick plywood floor and opposite wall of the attic's interior were then painted flat black so the collection chamber would absorb the incoming rays of the sun more efficiently.

This was all done, quite obviously, to make the attic/collector a better heat trap during the winter. But what about those hot South Carolina summers? What keeps that double layer of translucent plastic and those absorber panels of black plywood from turning the attic into an unbearably hot solar oven during the months of July and August?

V-e-r-r-r-y simple. By opening a series of vents along the ridge of the attic's roof and immediately under its eaves, the Grangers have found they can create a surprisingly effective natural "air conditioner" for that part of the house. The more the air in the loft is heated, in other words, the faster it rises out the ridge vents and the more it draws cool air in through the openings under the eaves. Believe it or not, USDA tests have shown that this entirely natural flow of air can keep summer temperatures in the attic as much as 40 degrees Fahrenheit lower than the attic temperatures in "ordinary" homes located in the same neighborhood as the Helio Thermic dwelling.

So: By merely opening the vents along the ridge and eaves of the attic, that section of the Granger house can be naturally air conditioned during the summer. And by just as Simply closing those same vents, the modified attic can be converted into a very effective solar collector.

THE DELIVERY AND STORAGE SYSTEMS

Of course, if Randy and Mike and Larry had stopped right there, they wouldn't have had much of a solar-tempered house on their hands. Few people spend all their time up in the attic. Besides, taken just this far and no farther, there'd be no way to store the attic/collector's excess warmth or cold during any given period and then use it at a later time.

So the boys tucked 1,100 cubic feet (60 tons) of washed, egg-sized rock under the building. And they connected this "heat sink" to the attic with a network of ducts, dampers, and louvers so that—among other functions—a blower (the Grangers call it an "air handler") can draw air—either hot or cold—from the attic. And that air can be used to heat or cool either the building's main floor or the crushed stone in the storage pit underneath. And—if stored—the captured warmth (or coolth) can always be extracted from the storage area on demand and blown into the house's living space. by the 1,600-cubic-foot-per-minute fan (driven by a half-horse electric motor) that is the heart of the building's air handler.

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print