Solar thermal / Guides

...thermal-solar air heaters, which are less risky (and less expensive) than thermal-solar hydronic heaters. Insulating air tubes near the heater box output to better distribute heat © Ecohome Can radiant floor heating provide all the necessary heat for a home? In theory, yes, but it ...

...Thermal mass within the conditioned living space has the ability to absorb and store heat, greatly helping to regulate interior temperatures. Homes with significant thermal mass inside the building envelope are also easier to keep cool in summer. Affordability: Bringing a building project to the point where it is r...

...solar air heated floor that this house will rest on The Wakefield House Solar Air Heated Floor © Ecohome Chosen High Efficiency Heating Brands : Legalett Solar Air-Heated Slab-on-Grade Form Kits Powrmatic heat pump DF-Jade House, (Pacific Energy Fireplaces & Stove), Wood Stove and (The Grill Bowl), Grill ...

...thermal heating ) or water source heat pumps. What are the different types of heat pumps? Is electric heating expensive? Depending on local utility rates, yes, it can sometimes be fairly expensive to heat with electricity. The key to heating efficiently with electricity anywhere, is to cut your home heating d...

...solar home - especially as built correctly with sufficient subfloor insulation a concrete slab on grade makes a perfect thermal battery for solar heat . Sealing concrete floors: Raw concrete is very porous and will have a lot of tiny, interconnected air pockets in it that will absorb moisture and other contaminants...

...Solar energy collection A successful strategy to power a home with solar energy begins like the water system, with the core principle of first reducing demand. To that end, the appliances and systems of this house were designed and chosen for their reduced operational demand of energy. On the roof are eight photovo...

...thermal mass, kitchen island and cabinets in low VOC & formaldehyde-free plywood with hardwearing UV finish , non-toxic quartz countertops , every effort having been made to ensure these homes have an exceptionally healthy indoor air quality . Passive Solar Homes: leading by design The spectacular picture window in...

...Solar, Green Builder, or Green-home builder. Passive House and LEED are green building certification programs, but even if you don’t want to bother certifying a home, finding a builder that has built a Passive House, LEED or ZNE certified home is a good thing because they'll know and understand the importance of the ...

...solar air heated slab floor here . What’s cheaper to build – a slab on grade or a crawlspace? A slab is cheaper . A crawl space is like building a mini (and dysfunctional) basement, so you get most of the cost, all the durability issues and potential hassles of a basement, PLUS a sore back and bruises on your head ...

...Solar heated floor - an Ecohome concept house And in other news… There is one energy saving feature that has not been included in the carbon footprint and energy consumption calculations of this particular house, which is the solar air heated slab-on-grade floor. Unlike most radiant floors where heated liquid is pa...

...thermal bridges: When one section of a wall conducts heat much quicker than another, we refer to it as a thermal bridge , and that can greatly reduce the overall R value of a wall. Virtually every thermal bridge in this wall assembly was identified and eliminated in the design phase. Thermal breaks in exterior insu...