[Strawbale] Michele's planned attached greenhouse

[Robert Tom]

On Wed, 28 Nov 2007 19:04:26 -0500, Michele O'Malley <michomd at hotmail.com>  
wrote:

> I'm thinking a couple windows, a slider, and at least 1 Trembley wall  
> (maybe 2), and a greenhouse off the south kitchen wall with some other  
> wall system there and a door leading out to it. The rest of the house  
> would be SB.

Michele;

I think that the attached greenhouse would yield a bigger bang for the  
buck than any PAHS or AGS system.

There is really no need for the common wall between the greenhouse and  
main living space to be SB.  I think that would be more beneficial to make  
it a honking big,fat high-mass wall.
In all likelihood, that common wall would be punched full of openings for  
doors and windows anyway so that it'd likely be 50% or more glass anyway.

And I think that the Trombe wall would be best flipped 90 degrees and used  
as a direct-gain floor, and then reduce that glass area (to reduce losses  
during non-gain periods) and use that glass for views and light as well as  
direct solar gains.

The idea of the above is that everything does at least double-duty.

ie An attached greenhouse, in addition to (i) being a solar furnace for  
the rest of the house, (ii) provides a thermal buffer zone for the portion  
of exterior wall that it encloses, (iii) provides a place to extend the  
growing season for plants (and soon-to-be plants) (iv) provides a place to  
dry laundry using solar power instead of electricity or fossil-fuel )(v)  
provides a great place to hang out nekkid in winter etc.

PAHS and AGS OTOH,are one trick ponies whose tricks are in large part,  
illusion, especially when attempted in Cold Climate regions. (Yes, they've  
been tried by SB builders in Cold Climates and "no" I've not yet heard of  
one that has performed as hoped/hyped.)

Quite frankly (and surely too), I seriously doubt that any PAHS of AGS  
components would contribute any more than 3% (if that) to reducing the  
auxiliary heating load of a home that is insulated and air-sealed to the  
levels that the old R-2000 standard used to require.

-- 
=== * ===
Rob Tom
Kanata, Ontario, Canada
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