Passive Solar Roof

It typically is constructed of containers holding 6 to 12 in 150 to 300 mm of water on a flat roof.

Passive solar roof.

Passive solar homes can be any color just like normal homes but they lose a major advantage if they aren t painted to suit the climate. Let s start with passive solar roof design. Light colored homes reflect the sun s light reducing the amount of heat retained in the walls and therefore lowering summer cooling loads. The share of the home s heating load that the passive solar design can meet is called the passive solar fraction and depends on the area of glazing and the amount of thermal mass.

In simple terms a passive solar home collects heat as the sun shines through south facing windows and retains it in materials that store heat known as thermal mass. In addition the heat produced by the sun causes air movement that can be predictable in designed spaces. A roof pond passive solar system sometimes called a solar roof uses water stored on the roof to temper hot and cold internal temperatures usually in desert environments. In passive solar homes effective weatherproofing and insulation and thus near airtightness is a necessity if primary reliance upon sunlight for climate control is to be possible.

When sunlight strikes a building the building materials can reflect transmit or absorb the solar radiation.