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Energy efficient, cost effective, passive solar house.

Article Excerpt
INTRODUCTION

Is it possible to build energy efficient houses that are still cost effective? This article addresses this question starting with the design, construction, and performance of a very energy-efficient, cost-effective house using current best-construction methods. The house was constructed in Carbon-dale, IL, which is located in Southern Illinois in the mixed humid climate region. The typical annual weather in Carbon-dale, IL has 2,377 [degrees]C*days (4,279 [degrees]F*days) heating and 819 [degrees]C*days (1475 [degrees]F*days) cooling degree days. The average daily amount of solar radiation is 15.3 MJ/[m.sup.2].

The house consisted of an above-ground main level of 200.7 [m.sup.2] (2160 [ft.sup.2]) with two regular bedrooms, master bedroom, study, living room, dining room, kitchen, dinette, two bathrooms, and a fully-conditioned basement beneath the main level with daylight windows. The house construction is energy-efficient from passive solar characteristics as well as additional insulation and air sealing. Also, energy efficient HVAC system, appliances, and lighting were used in the house. This type of construction should stimulate the housing market in providing reasonably priced, energy efficient houses resulting in affordable mortgages and low operating costs.

Others have successfully included passive solar characteristics into their building designs. Torcellini et al. (1999) described a design process for buildings that included passive solar characteristics compared to "solar neutral" buildings. Kehrig and Schoenau (1986) determined optimum values of glazing, insulation, and thermal mass of passive solar houses and used these results in residential designs in Dodge City, KS and Madison, WI. Olson and Suagee (1984) examined the advantages of passive solar houses under different utility schedules such as standard, time-of-day, and demand schedules. They found that passive solar houses had the least utility costs for all utility schedules and even more favorable with time-of-day rates, becoming more common in residential buildings.

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION

Building Envelope

The passive solar house was initially designed using a heliodon to determine how the sun's rays shines on the house any time, day, and month of the year. The house was designed such that the south wall faced 12[degrees] east of south and the garage on the northwest corner blocked the north wind in the winter and afternoon sun in the summer. A 0.61 m (2 ft) overhang of the roof trusses shaded the south wall in the summertime and allowed direct sunlight onto it in the wintertime. Sun also shined through the windows of the basement south wall in the wintertime but was shaded in the summertime from the main level cantilevering over the basement wall by 0.41 m (1.3 ft).

The design and construction of the passive solar characteristics of the house agreed well. Figures 1a and 1b and 2a and 2b show the south wall of the house at noon during the winter (21 December) and summer (June 21) solstices of the house model on the heliodon and the actual house, respectively. The line of shade on the house during the summer solstice is visible on the garage and on the house farthest from the garage due to the large shade tree on the property. In addition, the passive solar characteristics and composition of the cantilever and overhang of the basement and main level walls are shown in Figures 3a and 3b.

[FIGURE 1 OMITTED]

[FIGURE 2 OMITTED]

After the house was properly orientated, it was designed in more detail. Figure 4 shows the layout of the...

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