[Greenbuilding] FW: Re: window area for solar house

[Lawrence Lile]

   > > Hello everyone,
     > >
     > > Is there any quick, easy, simple way to determine the area of
     > > south-facing window glass necessary to supply the winter
heating needs
     > > for a house at a given latitude?
     >
     >nope.
     >
Yup.  Read Edward Mazria's books.  In "The Passive Solar Energy Book"
he recommends solar fractions, as a function of floor area, for various
climates and latitudes.  

He adds a caveat, that this rule of thumb is for preliminary sizing,
then detailed calculations should tweak it to precision.  

For example, for the Midwest he recommends South glass equaling 19% to
30% of floor area.      
 
 
Lawrence Lile, P.E., LEED AP