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Passive Solar Home Design

Millions of homes easily could be designed to capture free heat directly from the sun. But instead we are burning — wasting — huge amounts of oil and natural gas every winter. You can incorporate passive-solar heating in any style home. Or you can add solar features when remodeling an existing home, as long as the south side of the house receives full sun most of the day. When correctly designed, solar homes provide unrivaled comfort in winter and summer. They offer large, south-facing windows, generous views, sunny interiors and open floor plans.

These articles from the Mother Earth News Archive will show you how to build or remodel a home to take advantage of passive solar principles.

Build a Solar Home and Let the Sunshine In
If you're planning to build your dream home someday, this article could save you thousands of dollars. Including simple, passive-solar features in any style home can cost next to nothing up front and save you unbelievable amounts over the long-term in reduced energy bills.

The Passive Solar Home
A report on building and insulating an energy-efficient passive-solar house, including solar collection and storage systems, plus heat distribution and retention tips.


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BOOKS

THE SOLAR HOUSE: PASSIVE HEATING AND COOLING

By Dan Chiras

BIODIESEL

By Greg Pahl

NATURAL HOME HEATING

By GREG PAHL




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