Building a passive solar house is the best way to enjoy the Australian sun and its unique climate. With basic passive solar house designs, you can harness the power of the sun to create comfortable and energy efficient homes. Basic passive solar house designs use simple elements such as orientation, glazing, shading, insulation, thermal mass, and sometimes active features such as solar panels or solar hot water systems to create a residence that captures and contains available solar energy to achieve a comfortable indoor environment. Common passive house designs in Australia include longitudinal house designs, simple tilting roof and transparent roof designs, and courtyard designs. The key point in each design is to orient the home correctly so that it optimally captures available solar energy. With this orientation, basic passive solar house designs can maximize energy efficiency and help reduce heating and cooling costs while still delivering a comfortable interior space.Basic Passive Solar House Designs for Australia
Basic Passive Solar House Designs for Australia
A longitudinal house design is often chosen in temperate climates such as in parts of Australia. The house is oriented on an east/west axis, with the main entrance located on the east side while the back exits to the west. This ensures optimal orientation for solar energy capture even in a temperate climate. The east and west walls of the house are designed to be glass to allow maximum sunlight to enter. This design makes use of overhangs and other design features to reduce direct sunlight and overheating. Thermal mass, such as large concrete slabs, can also be used to absorb and store excess heat. Longitudinal Passive Solar House Design for a Temperate Climate
Longitudinal Passive Solar House Design for a Temperate Climate
This passive solar house design combines tilted roof elements, transparent roof features, and central courtyard. The tilted roof helps reduce direct sunlight, while the transparent roof allows natural light in and is also designed so that heat energy can be trapped. The courtyard provides additional space which can be used as a garden and also as a passive heat gainer. This design works best in warmer climates as it relies on natural air movement to circulate the heated air in the house.Passive Solar House Design: Tilted roof, Transparent roof and Courtyard
Passive Solar House Design: Tilted roof, Transparent roof and Courtyard
When constructing a passive solar house, there are certain strategies that should be implemented. Although the orientation of the house is of utmost importance, other strategies such as optimizing window placement, using wall insulation, and installing thermal mass are also important. Additionally, using active features such as solar panels and solar hot water systems can help supplement the passive solar components and help to make the home even more energy efficient.Passive Solar House Strategies
Passive Solar House Strategies
This passive house design utilizes a large transparent roof to capture maximum solar energy. It features a sloping roof covered in “sails” which allow for direct sunlight to be captured while also providing protection from direct heat. This design is best suited for warmer climates, as the transparent roof option works best in areas with more direct sunlight. Additionally, this design allows for ample airflow and ventilation, reducing the need for air conditioning or mechanical cooling.SailsUnfurl Passive Solar House Design
SailsUnfurl Passive Solar House Design
The Structural Insulated Panel System (SIPS) combines the benefits of a solar passive house design with the energy efficiency of insulated panels. This design is suitable for most climates, as the insulated panels help regulate temperature regardless of the outside environment. The roof is angled to maximize sunlight capture, while other features such as thermal insulation, additional glazing, etc. can be used to make the house more energy efficient.SIPS System Solar House Design
SIPS System Solar House Design
The strawbale passive solar house design uses straw bales for insulation, allowing for the natural thermal qualities of straw to regulate the interior temperature of the home. Straw has the ability to hold a large amount of heat, reducing the need for heating or cooling in the residence. This design is best suited for climates with extreme temperatures as it holds heat in the winter and maintains a cooler interior in summer.Strawbale Passive Solar House Design
Strawbale Passive Solar House Design
The Trombe wall passive solar house design incorporates a Trombe wall on the building's south side. A Trombe wall is a large glazed wall situated on the exterior of the building; it captures maximum solar energy and stores it in the wall structure. This energy is then released as thermal energy, keeping the home warm during the winter months and providing passive cooling during the summer.Trombe Wall Passive Solar House Design
Trombe Wall Passive Solar House Design
In Australia and other countries with similar climates, two-storey passive solar house designs are common. This design uses an orientation which takes full advantage of available sunlight. Overhangs, vertical sun-shading designs, and thermal mass features can be used to reduce overheating, while glass walls are able to capture maximum solar energy for use in heating the residence. This design combines the benefits of passive solar energy with two-storey living to create a comfortable interior environment.Two Storey Passive Solar House Design in Australia
Two Storey Passive Solar House Design in Australia
The University of Canberra Solar House Design is a popular passive house design in Australia. This design utilizes large, south-facing windows and a single, substantial roof overhang to reduce direct sunlight and glare while still maintaining maximum solar energy capture. The house is equipped with an integrated thermal mass system, including underground tanks, so that excess heat can be released in the hot summer months. University of Canberra Solar House Design
University of Canberra Solar House Design
The Western Redgum passive solar house design utilizes optimized overhangs, thermal mass, and ventilation strategies to increase energy efficiency. This design is especially suited for Australia’s warm, dry climate as it makes use of passive heating/cooling features as well as solar energy capture strategies. Additionally, this design makes use of redgum timber, a durable and sustainable building material which retains heat and adds a unique aesthetic to the residence.Western Redgum Passive Solar House Design
Western Redgum Passive Solar House Design
Efficient Heating and Cooling Systems
Designing an Australian passive solar house requires the incorporation of efficient heating and cooling systems. Solar energy is collected via strategically placed windows, as well as roofs, walls, floors, and other facets of the house’s exterior. The careful placement of these elements helps redirect natural airflows, rainwater, and other properties of nature, with their collective aim being to keep the house warm during the winter and cool during the summer. The heating and cooling systems of an Australian passive solar house, when coupled with faux-concrete floors, thick walls, and other elements, help conserve energy and money the owner would otherwise have to shell out on air conditioning and central heating.
Insulation and Ventilation
The design of an Australian passive solar house also involves implementing the right kind of insulation and ventilation in the home. Home insulation keeps warm air in during the winter and cool air in during the summer, while home ventilation helps release stale air and draw in fresh air. Most passive solar houses also have standard evaporative coolers and air conditioners in place to regulate temperatures, but when used in moderation, they help conserve energy much better than traditional cooling and heating systems.
