Solar Energy

Many of our clients are interested in and ask us about energy conscious design of homes and "solar" design. Using the sun to make buildings more comfortable is a strategy dating back thousands of years. Making wise choices about where we build and how we build in relation to the sun is easy and is ecologically responsible.

Three terms we often use to refer to solar design are:

Solar tempered spaces:
Spaces designed so that their form, orientation to the sun, size and location of windows allows the sun in during the winter but not during the summer.

Passive solar systems:
Systems that collect, move, and store heat using natural heat-transfer mechanisms such as conduction and air convection. Design of homes that use passive solar energy includes appropriately sized south-facing windows and a thermal mass such as concrete to store the sun's energy that has entered through these windows.

Active solar systems:
Systems made up of solar or photovoltaic panels and mechanical devices such as pumps and fans that collect and transfer energy to a space or to a storage medium such as batteries or water.

In some locations, surplus electricity generated from these systems may be sold to the utility company. This is known as reverse or net metering.