[Greenbuilding] passive solar homes - floors

[George J. Nesbitt]

I added the "rule the rules them all" and rule #10

George J. Nesbitt wrote:
> Biggest common mistakes in solar: 

"Whatever the signifigant-other wants trumps rules #1 thru 10." Lawrence Lile


> #1 Not applying whole building system thinking. "Paying too much 
> attention to passive heating, and none to passive cooling." Lawrence Lile
>
> #2 "Not enough attention paid to increasing levels of insulation and  
> meticulous air-sealing." Rob Tom(20+ year old knowledge, a 
> superinsulated air tight home with modest south glazing will out 
> perform a more aggressive solar design)
>
> #3 "More often than not, throwing in way too much equator-facing 
> glass  instead." Rob Tom (see #1 above)
>
> #4 "omitting properly scaled overhangs or other permanent shading 
> devices to  prevent unwanted gains during the summer months." Rob Tom 
> (South windows need to be shaded in the summer, or you get 
> overheating. East and west windows are harder to shade with overhangs, 
> they have to be very wide and deep. East and west glazing should be 
> minimized).
> #5 Too much slopping glazing (skylights and glass roofs), too hard to 
> shade.
>
> #6 "Too much south glass compared to the amount of mass;" Lawrence 
> Lile (or maybe too much mass, especially un or under insulated 
> exterior mass walls and slabs, especially in heating climates).
>
> #7 Making something too complicated, technical, and active.
> "Using boxes of rocks, hollow concrete blocks, or anything else that
> can't be cleaned, to store heat." Lawrence Lile
>
> #8 Making something ugly
>
> #9 "Using heat reflecting or Low-E glass on the South." Lawrence Lile 
> (Actually an unshaded south window should probably have a SHGC of .40 
> or less, a summer shaded/winter full sun window should probably have a 
> SHGC of .60 or greater. The low E coating will improve the comfort and 
> the heat loss of the windows, to a greater extent than they will 
> reduce heat gain. East and west windows should have a SHGC of .40 or 
> less.
>
> #10 Planting decidouse trees on the south side that block 50% plus of 
> the solar heat gain in winter.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> _______________________________________________
> Greenbuilding email list
> List info: http://listserv.repp.org/mailman/listinfo/greenbuilding_listserv.repp.org
> List email: Greenbuilding at listserv.repp.org
> Managed by BuildingGreen, Inc. http://www.buildinggreen.com
>       publisher of Environmental Building News and GreenSpec(r)
> Hosted and archived by REPP / CREST http://www.crest.org