Passive Solar Provides 70% Of Heat
by Sharon
(Oregon, USA)
My mother built her 5th house with more eco-friendly ideas.
She used 5 south facing windows which provide about 70% of the year's heating for her. They are about 6 ft by 30 inches. Only 1-2 hours of sunbreaks in the winter will heat up the whole floor (open plan) and additional heat is not necessary until night.
She also exceeded code with insulation using fiberglass. Cooling in the summer is easy with screen doors and venting airflow upstairs.
Neighbors spend $250 to $450 monthly on electricity/heating. She spends $35 to $50 (usage the same, just increases in prices).
One big saver is no clothes dryer on site. She uses a clothesline in summer and a wooden drying rack in the winter. At first, that looked unusual, but now it feels quite comfortable.
Going green is definitely doable. Retrofit, or insist on passive ideas in new designs. They certainly work and will save you money in the long run.
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