Passive Solar Design: Creating Sun-Inspired Homes

By Interview Megan E. Phelps
Published on November 11, 2010
1 / 6

The houses featured in this article, including this passive solar home in Vermont, were designed by architect Debra Rucker Coleman and her company, Sun Plans. 
The houses featured in this article, including this passive solar home in Vermont, were designed by architect Debra Rucker Coleman and her company, Sun Plans. 
2 / 6

Properly sized overhangs above windows help prevent passive solar houses from overheating.
Properly sized overhangs above windows help prevent passive solar houses from overheating.
3 / 6

Concrete floors provide thermal mass, which helps keep a house cool in summer and warm in winter.
Concrete floors provide thermal mass, which helps keep a house cool in summer and warm in winter.
4 / 6

Large, south-facing windows let in heat during winter and plenty of light all year.
Large, south-facing windows let in heat during winter and plenty of light all year.
5 / 6

Architect Debra Rucker Coleman's book
Architect Debra Rucker Coleman's book "The Sun-Inspired House" outlines her passive solar design ideas, and you can learn more about her company and designs at www.SunPlans.com. She lives in Citronelle, Ala.
6 / 6

South-facing windows are a primary part of passive solar design.
South-facing windows are a primary part of passive solar design.

Many people who are planning to build or buy a house would like to own one that’s energy-efficient but aren’t sure how to get started. Architect Debra Rucker Coleman gives advice by offering insight into the fundamentals of passive solar design, and explains why it’s always a good idea to design homes (or select house plans) with the sun in mind.

Tell us about your background and how you became interested in passive solar design.

I graduated from architecture school at the University of Arizona. That was in the late ’70s, so before the current green movement, but during the 1970s energy crisis.

The instructors were very sensitive to the environment. So that’s where I got the basics of passive solar design — even though it wasn’t called that and was taught as just one aspect of environmental design.

When did you start actually designing passive solar homes?

It wasn’t until I left Arizona and started working for other firms in the East — where the climate was colder — that I realized, “They’re not even thinking about the way a building should face or about where the sun is!” It was what I perceived as the lack of attention to the sun that made me decide to go out on my own in 1985 and establish Energetic Design, the company I had when I lived in North Carolina. I was intent on making all of the buildings I designed more energy-efficient and working with the sun as much as possible.

Comments (0) Join others in the discussion!
    Online Store Logo
    Need Help? Call 1-800-234-3368