Passive PDF

Passive Solar
Design Strategies:
Guidelines for
Horne Building
Passive Solar Industries Council

National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Charles Eley Associates
With SufrPort From:
U.S. Department of Energy
Passive Solar Design
Strategies:
Guidelines for Home
Building
Jackson, Mississippi

This document was prepared under the sponsorship of the National Renewable
Energy Laboratory and produced with funds made available by the United States
Department of Energy. Neither the United States Department of Energy, the National
Renewable Energy Laboratory, the Passive Solar Industries Council nor any of its
member organizations, nor any of their employees, nor any of their contractors,
subcontractors, or their employees, makes any warranty, expressed or implied, or
assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or
usefulness of any information, apparatus, product or process disclosed, or represents
that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. The views and opinions do not
necessarily state or reflect those of the United States government, the National
Renewable Energy Laboratory, or any agency thereof. This document was prepared
with the assistance and participation of representatives from many organizations, but
the views and opinions expressed represent general consensus and available
information. Unanimous approval by all organizations is not implied.
PA:;):;)/VI= :;)ULAH UI=:;)/GN :;) / HA II=WI=:;) r..;UN I cN I ::;
Guidelines
Part One. Introduction . ...................................... 1

1. The Passive Solar Design Strategies Package. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2. Passive Solar Perfonnance Potential . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Part Two. Basics of Passive Solar . .............................. 7

.1. Why Passive Solar? More than a Question of Energy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2. Key Concepts: Energy Conservation, Suntempertng, Passive Solar . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
3. Improving Conservation Perfonnance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
4. Mechanical Systems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
5. South-Facing Glass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ,14
6. Thennal Mass. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
7. Orientation.............................................16
8. Site Planning for Solar Access. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
9. Interior Space Planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
10. Putting it Together: The House as a System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Part Three. Strategies for Improving Energy Performance

in Jackson, Mississippi. ..................................... 21
l. The Example Tables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
2. Suntempertng . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
3. Direct Gain . . . . . . . . . ' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
4. S u n s p a c e s , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
5. Thennal Storage Wall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
6. Combined Systems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
7. Natural Cooling Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Worksheets
Blank. Worksheets, Data Tables, and Worksheet Instructions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
Worked Example
Description of the Example Building. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ,47
Filled in Worksheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Annotated Worksheet Tables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
"Any'fown", USA • . . • . . • . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
Appendix
Glossary of Tenns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81
References. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Summary Tables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Technical Basis for the Builder Guidelines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87
JackBon, MiBBiBBippi
PASSIVE SOLAR DESIGN STRATEGIES
Acknowledger.nents whose work is the basis of the Director of National Accounts,

Guidelines: Robert McFarland, National Concrete Masonry
LANL, for developing and Association, Chairman of PSIC's
Passive Solar Design Strategies: programming the calculation Board of Directors during the
Guidelines Jor Home Builders procedures: Alex Lekov, NREL, development of these guidelines:
represents over three years of for assistance in the analysis: James Tann, Brick Institute of
effort by a unique group of Subrato Chandra and PhiUp W. America, Region 4. Chairman of
organizations and individuals. Fairey, FSEC, whose research PSIC's Technical Committee
The challenge of creating an has guided the natural cooUng during the development of these
effective design tool that could sections of the guidelines; the guidelines: and Blon Howard,
be customized for the specific members of the NAHB Standing Chairman of PSIC's Technical
needs of builders in cities and Committee on Energy, especially Committee during the
towns all over the u.s. called for Barbara B. Harwood, Donald L. development of these gUidelines,
the talents and experience of Carr, James W. Leach and the Alliance to Save Energy all
specialists in many different Craig Eymann, for the benefit of gave unsUntingly of their time,
areas of expertise. their long experience in building their expertise, and their
Passive Solar Design energy-efficient homes: at U.S. enthusiasm.
Strategies is based on research DOE, Frederick H. Morse,
sponsored by the United States Former Director of the Office of
Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Heat Technologies and
Solar Buildings Program, and Mary-Margaret Jenior, Program
carried out primarily by the Los Manager: Nancy CarHsle and
Alamos National Laboratory Paul Notari at NREL: Helen
(lANL), the National Renewable EngHsh, Executive Director of
Energy Laboratory (NREL), PSIC: Michael Bell, former
formerly Solar Energy Research Chairman of PSIC, and Layne
Institute (SERI), and the Florida Evans and Elena Marcheso-
Solar Energy Center (FSEC). Moreno, former Executive
The National Association of Directors of PSIC: Arthur W.
Home Builders (NAHB) Standing Johnson, for technical
Committee on Energy has assistance in the development of
provided invaluable advice and the Guidelines and worksheets:
assistance during the Michael Nicklas, who worked
development of the Guidelines. on the Guidelines from their
Valuable information was early stages and was
drawn from the 14-country instrumental in the success of
International Energy Agency the first pilot workshop in North
(lEA), Solar Heating and Cooling Carolina: Charles Eley, for his
program, Task VIII on Passive help in every aspect of the
and Hybrid Solar Low Energy production of the Guidelines
Buildings (see next page for package.
more about the international Although all the members of
context of Passive Solar Design PSIC. especially the Technical
Strategies) . Committee, contributed to the
PSIC expresses particular financial and technical support
gratitude to the following of the GUidelines. several
individuals: J. Douglas contributed far beyond the call
Balcomb, NREL and lANL , of duty. Stephen Szoke.
Passive Solar
Design Strategies
GUIDELINES

With Support From:
PASSIVE SOLAR DESIGN STRATEGIES 1
Part One: Introduction

1. The Passive Solar Design Strategies Package
2. Passive Solar Performance Potential
2 GUIDELINES PART ONE: INTRODUCTION
1. The Passive Solar Passive Solar Design BuilderGuide

Design Strategies Strategies is a package in four A special builder-friendly
basic parts: computer program caller
Package • The GuideUnes contain BuilderGuide has been developed
infonnation about passive solar to automate the calculations
The concepts of passive solar are techniques and how they work. involved in filling out the four
simple, but applying it effectively Specific examples of systems worksheets. The program
requires specific infonnation and which will save various operates like a spreadsheet; the
attention to the details of design percentages of energy are user fills in values for the
and construction. Some passive provided. building, and the computer
solar techniques are modest and • The Worksheets offer a completes the calculations,
low-cost, and require only small simple, fUl-in-the-blank method including all table lookups, and
changes in a builder's standard to pre-evaluate the perfonnance prints out the answers. The
practice. At the other end of the of a specific design. automated method of using the
spectrum, some passive solar • The Worked Eumple Worksheets allows the user to
systems can almost eliminate a demonstrates how to complete vary input values, BuilderGuide
house's need for purchased the worksheets for a typical helps the user quickly evaluate a
energy - but probably at a residence in Jackson. wide range of design strategies.
relatively high first cost. • The section titled Any Town,
In between are a broad range USA is a step by step BuilderGuide is available from
of energy-conserving passive explanation of the passive solar the Passive Solar Industries
solar techniques. Whether or worksheets for a generic Council. Computer data files
not they are cost-effective, example house. containing climate data and data
practical and attractive enough on component perfonnance for
to offer a market advantage to 228 locations within the United
any individual builder depends States. The user can then
on very specific factors such as adjust for local conditions so
local costs, climate and market perfonnance can be evaluated
characteristics. virtually anywhere.
Passive Solar Design
Strategies: Guidelines for Home
Builders is written to help give
builders the infonnation they
need to make these decisions.
The Guidelines Part Three gives more The Base Case House is a
Some principles of passive solar specific advice about techniques reasonably energy-efficient
design remain the same in every for suntempering, direct gain house based on a 1987 National
climate. An important aspect of systems, thermal storage mass AsSOCiation of Home Builders
good passive solar design is that walls and sunspaces, and for study of housing characteristics,
it takes advantage of the natural cooling strategies to help for seven different regions. The
opportunities at the specific site. offset air-conditioning needs. Base Case used for Jackson.
So, many fundamental aspects The Example Tables in Part Mississippi is from the 1,000-
of passive solar design will Three are also related to 2,500 heating degree days
depend on the conditions in a Worksheet numbers. so that you region. The floor construction
small local area, and even on the can compare them to the is assumed to be slab-on-grade,
features of the building site. designs you are evaluating. For because this is typical in
Many of the suggestions in this example. the Passive Solar Mississippi.
section apply specifically to Sunspace Example Case which The examples show how to
Jackson, Mississippi. but there uses 40% less energy than the achieve 20%, 40% and 600A>
is also information which will be Base Case House (page 29) has: energy-\.lse reductions using
useful in any climate. • A ConseIVation Performance three basic strategies:
Part One introduces Passive Level of apprOximately 23,479 • Added Insulation:
Solar Design Strategies, and Btu/yr-sf. Increasing thermal resistance
presents the performance • An Auxiliary Heat insulation levels without adding
potential of several different Performance Level of solar features.
passive solar systems in the approximately 15,073 Btu/yr-sf, • Suntemperlng: Increasing
Jackson climate. Although in and south-faCing glazing to a
practice many factors will affect • A Summer Cooling maximum of 7% of the house's
actual energy performance. this Performance Level of 14,439 total floor area. without adding
information gives a general idea Btu/yr-sf. thermal mass (energy storage)
of how various systems might In this example. the energy beyond what is already in the
perform in Jackson. savings are achieved by framing, standard floor
Part Two discusses the basic increasing insulation about 7% coverings and gypsum wall-
concepts of passive solar design over the Base Case House, board and ceiling surfaces.
and construction: what the adding a sunspace with south Suntempertng is combined with
advantages of passive solar are. glazing area equal to 11% of the increased levels of thermal
how passive solar relates to house's floor area. and using a reSistance insulation.
other kinds of energy ceiling fan to cut some of the air
conseIVation measures. how the conditioning load.
primary passive solar systems A Base Case House is
work, and what the builder's compared with a series of
most important considerations example cases to illustrate
should be when evaluating and exactly how these increased
using different passive solar levels of energy-effiCiency might
strategies. be achieved.
• Solar Architecture: Using The Worksheets from the Solar System Savings
three different design The Worksheets are specifically Fraction table or from the Heat
approaches: Direct Gain, tailored for Jackson, Mississippi, Gain Factor table.
Sunspace, and Thermal Storage and are a very important part of The Worksheets allow
Wall, with increased levels of this package because they allow calculation of the follOWing
thermal resistance insulation. you to compare different passive performance indicators:
For all strategies, the energy solar strategies or combinations • Worksheet I: Conservation
savings indicated are based on of strategies, and the effect that Performance Level: Determines
the assumption that the energy- changes will have on the overall how well the house's basic
efficient design and construction performance of the house. energy conservation measures
gUidelines have been followed, so The most effective way to use (insulation, sealing, caulking,
the houses are properly sited the Worksheets is to make etc.) are working to prevent
and tightly built with high- multiple copies before you fill unwanted heat loss or gains.
quality windows and doors. them out the first time. You can The bottom line of this
The Guidelines section has then use the Worksheets to Worksheet is a number
been kept as brief and calculate several different measuring heat loss in British
straightforward as possible, but designs. For instance, you could thermal units per square foot
more detailed information is first calculate the performance of per year (Btu/ sf-yr) - the lower
available if needed. Some the basic house you build now, the heat loss, the better.
references are indicated in the then fill out Worksheets for that • Worksheet U: AuxlUary
text, and a list of other house with a variety of energy Heat Performance Level:
information sources can be performance strategies such as Determines how much heat has
found in the References. Also increased insulation, to be supplied (that is, provided
included at the end of this book suntempering and specific by the heating system) after
are a brief glossary: a summary passive solar components. taking into account the heat
of the Example Tables for The Worksheets provide a contributed by passive solar.
Jackson, MisSissippi, and the way to calculate quickly and This worksheet arrives at a
Technical Basis for the Builder with reasonable accuracy how number estimating the amount
Guidelines which explains the well a design is likely to perform of heating energy the house's
background and assumptions in four key ways: how well it will non-solar heating system has to
behind the Guidelines and conserve heat energy: how much provide in Btu/yr-sf. Again, the
Worksheets. the solar features will contribute lower the value, the better.
to its total heating energy needs: • Worksheet m: Thermal
how comfortable the house will Mass/Comfort: Determines
be: and how much the annual whether the house has adequate
cooling load (need for air thermal mass to assure comfort
conditioning) will be. and good thermal performance.
The Worksheets are Worksheet III calculates the
supported by "look-up" tables number of degrees the
containing pre-calculated temperature inside the house is
numbers for the local area. likely to vary, or "swing", during
Some of the blanks in the a sunny winter day without the
Worksheets call for information heating system operating. A
about the house - for example, well-designed house should have
floor area and proJected area of a temperature swing of no more
passive solar glazing. Other than 13 degrees, and the less
blanks require a number from the better.
one of the tables - for example,
JacksOD, Mississippi
• Worksheet IV: Summer 2. Passive Solar glass, and each passive solar
Cooling Performance Level: Performance system has 145 sf.
Indicates how much air The energy savings
conditioning the house will need Potential presented in this example
in the summer (It is riot, assume that all the systems are
however, intended for use in The energy performance of designed and built according to
sizing equipment, but as an passive solar strategies varies the suggestions in these
indication of the reductions in significantly, depending on Guidelines. It's also important
annual cooling load made climate, the specific design of to remember that the figures
possible by the use of natural the system, and the way it is below are for annual net heating
cooling). The natural cooling built and operated. Of course, benefits. The natural cooling
guidelines should make the energy performance is not the section in Part Three gives
house's total cooling load - the only consideration. A system advice about shading and other
bottom line of this Worksheet, in which will give excellent energy techniques which would make
Btu/yr-sf - smaller than in a performance may not be as sure the winter heating benefits
"conventional" house. The lower marketable in your area or as are not at the expense of higher
the cooling performance level, easily adaptable to your designs summer cooling loads.
the better the design. as a system which saves less Please note that throughout
So, the Worksheets provide energy but fits other needs. the Guidelines and Worksheets
four key numbers indicating the In the following table, several the glazing areas given are for
projected performance of the different passive solar systems the actual net area of the glass
various designs you are are presented along with two itself. A common rule of thumb
evaluating. numbers which indicate their is that the net glass area is 80
• The Worked Example: To performance. The Percent Solar percent.ofthe rough frame
assist in understanding how the Savings is a measure of how opening. For example, if a south
design strategies outlined in the much the passive solar system is glass area of 100 sf is desired,
Guidelines affect the overall reducing the need for purchased the required area of the rough
performance of a house, a energy. For example, the frame opening would be about
worked example is included. Percent Solar Savings for the 125 sf.
The example house is assumed Base Case House is 9.6%,
to be constructed of materials because even in a non-solar
and design elements typical of house, the south-facing windows
the area. Various design are contributing some heat
features, such as direct gain energy.
spaces, sunspaces, increased The Yield is the annual net
levels of insulation and thermal heating energy benefit of adding
mass, are included to illustrate the passive solar system,
the effects combined systems measured in Btu saved per year
have on the performance of a per square foot of additional
house. Also, many features are south glazing.
covered to demonstrate how The figures given are for a
various conditions and 1,500 sf, Single-story house with
situations are addressed in the a slab floor. The Base Case
worksheets. A description of the House has 45 sf of south-facing
design features, along with the glazing. For the purposes of this
house plans, elevations and example, the Suntempered
sections, is included for house has 100 sf of south-facing
additional support information.
Perfonnance Potential of Passive Solar Strategies

In Jackson, Mississippi
1,500 sf, Single Story House
Yield
Percent Btu Saved per
Solar Square Foot of
Case Savings South Glass
Base Case 9.6 not applicable

(45 sf of south-facing double glass)
Suntempered 18.3 58,909
(100 sf of south-facing double glass)
Direct Gain (145 sf of south glass)

Double Glass 24.2 54,531
Triple or low-e glass 25.3 60,925
Double glass with R-4 night insulation 1 27.6 70,703
Double glass with R-9 night insulation 1 28.3 73,831
Sunspace (145 sf of south glass)

Attached with opaque end walls 2 23.6 55,276
Attached with glazed end walls 2 23.0 52,711
Semi-enclosed with vertical glazing3 24.6 57,367
Semi-enclosed with 50· sloped glazing3 29.8 79,771
Thennal Storage Wall- Masonry/Concrete

(145 sf of south glass)
Black surface, double glazing 22.6 50,429
Selective surface, single glazing 28.5 74,690
Selective surface, double glazing 27.6 71,354
Thennal Storage Wall - Water Wall

(145 sf of south glass)
Selective surface, single glazing 32.3 89,637
1. Night insulation is assumed to cover the south glass each night and
removed when sun is available. Experience has shown that many
homeowners find this inconvenient and so the potential energy savings
are often not achieved. Using low-e or other energy-efficient glazing is
more reliable.
2. The attached sunspace is assumed to have, in addition to glazed

walls, roof glazing at a slope of 30 degrees from the horizontal, or a 7:12
pitch. (See diagram SSB1 in the Worksheets.)
3. The semi-enclosed sunspace has only the south wall exposed to the
out-of-doors. The glazing has a slope of 50· from the horizontal, or a
14:12 pitch. The side walls are adjacent to conditioned space in the
house. (See diagram SSD1 in the Worksheets.)
Part Two: Basics of Passive Solar

1. Why Passive Solar? More than a Question of
Energy
2. Key Concepts: Energy Conservation,

Suntempering. Solar Architecture
3. Improving Conservation Performance
4. Mechanical Systems
5. South-Facing Glass
6. Thermal Mass
7. Orientation
8. Site Planning for Solar Access
9. Interior Space Planning
10. Putting it Together: The House as a System
8 GUIDELINES PART TWO: BASICS OF PASSIVE SOLAR
1. Why Passive Solar? insulation is inviSible to the They just present their houses
More than a Question prospective home buyer. A as the state of the art in energy-
sunny. open living area lit by effiCiency and style. and they
of Energy south-faCing windows. on the use passive solar as a part of the
other hand. may be a key selling package.
Houses today are more energy- point. Windows in general are The U.S. Department of
efficient than ever before. popular with homebuyers. and Energy and the National Renew-
However. the vast majority of passive solar can make windows able Energy Laboratory (NREL)
new houses still ignore a lot of energy producers instead of conducted extensive national
energy saving opportunities - energy liabilities. surveys of passive solar homes.
opportunities available in the Another example: high- home owners and potential
sunlight falling on the house. in efficiency heating eqUipment can buyers. Some key findings:
the landscaping. breezes and account for significant energy • passive solar homes work
other natural elements of the savings - but it won't be as - they generally require an
site. and opportunities in the much fun on a winter morning average of about 300Al less
structure and materials of the as breakfast in a bright. energy for heating than
house itself. which. with attractive sunspace. "conventional" houses. with
thoughtful design. could be used The point is not that a some houses saving much more.
to collect and use free energy. buUder should choose passive • occupants of passive solar
Passive solar (the name solar instead of other energy- homes are pleased with the
distinguishes it from "active" or conserving measures. The performance of their homes (over
mechanical solar technologies) is important thing is that passive 90% "very satisfied"). but they
simply a way to take maximum solar strategies can add not only rank the comfort and pleasant
advantage of these energy-efficiency. but also very living environment as just as
opportunities. saleable amenities - style. important (in some regions.
Home buyers are also comfort. attractive interiOrs. more important) to their
increasingly sophisticated about curb appeal and resale value. satisfaction. and in their
energy issues. although the In fact. in some local decision to buy the house. as
average home buyer is probably markets. builders report that energy considerations.
much more familiar with they don·t even make specific • passive solar home owners
insulation than with passive reference to "passive solar". and lenders perceive the
solar. The "energy crisis" may resale value of passive solar
come and go. but very few people houses as high.
perceive their own household
Advantages of Passive Solar
energy bills as getting smaller -
quite the opposite. So a house • Energy perfonnance: Lower energy bills all year-round
with significantly lower monthly • Attractive living environment: large windows and views, sunny
energy costs year-round will interiors, open floor plans
have a strong market advantage • Comfort: quiet (no operating noise), solid construction, warmer in
over a comparable house down winter, cooler in summer (even during a power failure)
the street. no matter what • Value: high owner satisfaction, high resale value
international oU prices may be. • Low Maintenance: durable, reduced operation and repairs
There are many different
• Investment: independence from future rises in fuel costs, will continue
ways to reduce energy bills. and to save money long after any initial costs have been recovered
some are more marketable than
• Environmental Concerns: clean, renewable energy to combat
others. For instance. adding growing concerns over global warming, acid rain and
insulation can markedly improve ozone depletion
energy-efficiency - but added
Jackson. Mississippi
Many of the measures that Although the concept is
2. Key Concepts: are often considered part of simple. in practice the
Energy Conservation, suntempering or passive solar - relationship between the
Suntempering, such as orienting to take amounts of glazing and mass is
advantage of summer breezes. or complicated by many factors.
Passive Solar landscaping for natural cooling, and has been a subject of
or facing a long wall of the house conSiderable study and
The strategies for enhancing
south - can help a house experiment. From a comfort and
energy perfonnance which are conserve energy even if no energy standpOint. it would be
presented here fall into four "solar" features are planned. difficult to add too much mass.
general categories: The essential elements in a Thennal mass will hold warmth
• Energy Conservation: passive solar house are south- longer in winter and keep
insulation levels. control of air
facing glass and thermal mass. houses cooler in summer.
infiltration. glazing type and
In the simplest tenns. a The following sections of the
location. mechanical equipment
passive solar system collects Guidelines discuss the size and
and energy efficient appliances.
solar energy through south- location of glass and mass. as
• Suntemperlng: a limited use facing glass and stores solar well as other considerations
of solar techniques; modestly
energy in thennal mass - which are basic to both
increasing south-facing window
materials with a high capacity suntempered and passiye solar
area. usually by relocating
for storing heat (e.g .• brick, houses: improving conservation
windows from other sides of the
concrete masonry. concrete slab. performance; mechanical
house. but without adding
tile. water). The more south- systems; orientation; site
thennal mass.
facing glass is used in the planning for solar access;
• Solar Architecture: going house, the more thennal mass interior space planning; and
beyond conservation and
must be provided. or the house approaching to the house as a
suntempering to a complete
will overheat and the solar totally integrated system.
system of collection. storage and
system will not perfonn as
use of solar energy: using more
expected.
south glass. adding appropriate
Improperly done, passive
thennal mass. and taking steps
solar may continue to heat the
to control and distribute heat
house in the summer. causing
energy throughout the house.
discomfort or high air-
• Natural CooHng: using conditioning bills. or overheat
design and the environment to
the house in the winter and
cool the house and increase
require additional ventilation.
comfort. by increasing air
movement and employing
shading strategies.
What is immediately clear is
that these categories overlap. A
good passive solar design must
include an appropriate thennal
envelope. energy effiCient
mechanical systems. energy
effiCient appliances and proper
solar architecture. specifically
the appropriate amounts and
locations of mass and glass.
The thermal reSistance of Slab edge insulation should

3. Improving ceiUng/roof assembUes, walls be at least two feet deep,
Conservation and floors is affected not only by extending from the surface of the
Performance the R-value of the insulation floor or above. Materials for slab
itself, but also the reSistance of edge insulation should be
The techniques desCribed in this other elements in the selected for underground
section relate to Worksheet I: construction assembly - durability. One material with a
Conservation Performance framing effects, exterior proven track record is extruded
Level, which measures the sheathing, and finishes and polystyrene. Exposed insulation
house's heat loss. The energy interior finishes. The should be protected from
conseIVation measures that Worksheets include tables that physical damage by attaching a
reduce heat loss also tend to show Equivalent Construction protection board, for instance,
reduce the house's need for air R-Values which account for or by covering the insulation
conditioning. these and other effects. For with a protective surface. The
The most important instance, ventilated crawlspaces use of termite shields may be
measures for improving the and unheated basements required.
house's basic ability to conserve provide a buffering effect which Heated basement walls
the heat generated either by the is accounted for in the should be fully insulated to at
sun or by the house's Worksheet tables. least four feet below grade, but
conventional heating system are With attics, framing effects the portion of the wall below that
in the following areas: are minimized if the insulation depth only needs to be insulated
• Insulation covers the ceiling joists, either to about half the R-value of the
• Air infiltration by using blown-in insulation or upper portion. Insulation can be
• Non-solar glazing by running an additional layer of placed on the outside surface of
batts in the opposite direction of the wall, or on the inside surface
Insulation the ceiling jOists. Ridge and/or of the wall, or in the cores of the
Adding insulation to walls, eave vents are needed for masonry units.
floors, ceilings, roof and ventilation. If the basement walls are
foundation improves their insulated on the outside, the
thermal reSistance (R-value)- materials should be durable
their resistance to heat flowing underground, and exposed
out of the house. insulation should be protected
A quality job of installing the from damage. Exterior
insulation can have almost as insulation strategies only require
much effect on energy the use of a termite shield. In
performance as the R-value, so the case of a finished basement
careful construction supervision or walk-out basement, placing
is important. An inspection just insulation on the interior or
before the drywall is hung may Insulation In an Attic within the cores of architectural
Insulation should extend over the top ceiling masonry units may be less
identify improvements which are joists and ventilation should be provided at
easy at that time but might
the eaves. costly than insulating the
make a big difference in the exterior foundation.
energy use of the home for the In cathedral ceilings, an
insulating sheathing over the top
life of the building.
decking will increase the R-
value.
PASSIVE SOLAR DESIGN STRA TEGIES 11
Air Infiltration
Sealing the house carefully to Checklist for Minimizing Air Leakage
reduce air infiltration - air ./ Tighten seals around windows and doors, and weatherstripping
leakage - is as necessary to around all openings to the outside or to unconditioned rooms;
energy conservation as adding
./ Caulk around all windows and doors before drywall is hung; seal all
insulation. penetrations (plumbing, electrical, etc.);
The tightness of houses is
generally measured in the ./ Insulate behind wall outlets and/or plumbing lines in exterior walls;
number of air changes per hour ./ Caulk under headers and sills;
(ACH). A good, comfortable,
energy-efficient house, built ./ Chink spaces between rough openings and millwork with insulation, or
along the gUidelines in the table for a better seal, fill with foam;
on this page, will have ./ Seal larger openings such as ducts into attics or crawlspaces with
approximately 0.35 to 0.50 air taped polyethylene covered with insulation;
changes per hour under normal
./ Locate continuous vapor retardants located on the warm side of the
winter conditions. insulation (building wrap, continuous interior polyethylene, etc.);
Increasing the tightness of
the house beyond that may ./ Install dampers and/or glass doors on fireplaces; combined with
improve the energy performance, outside combustion air intake;
but it may also create problems ./ Install backdraft dampers on all exhaust fan openings;
with indoor air quality, moisture
build-up, and inadequately ./ Caulk and seal the joint between floor slabs and walls;
vented fireplaces and furnaces.
./ Remove wood grade stakes from slabs and seal;
Tighter houses may perform
effectively with appropriate ./ Cover and seal sump cracks;
mechanical ventilation systems.
The use of house sealing ./ Close core voids in top of concrete masonry foundation walls;
subcontractors to do the ./ Control concrete and masonry cracking;
tightening and check it with a
blower door can often save the ./ Use of air tight drywall methods are also acceptable;
builder time and problems, ./ Employ appropriate radon mitigation techniques.
especially when trying to achieve
particularly high levels of ./ Seal seams in exterior sheathing.
infiltration control.
JacksoD. Mississippi
Non-Solar Glazing account for the glass. the frame. West windows may be the
South-faCing windows are the air gap and any special (low- most problematic. and there are
considered solar glazing. The e) coatings. few shading systems that will be
south windows in any house are North windows should be effective enough to offset the
contributing some solar heat used with care. Sometimes potential for overheating from a
energy to the house's heating views or the diffuse northern large west-faCing window. Glass
needs - whether it's a light are desirable. but in with a low shading coeffiCient
significant. usable amount or general north-faCing windows may be one effective approach -
hardly worth measuring will should not be large. Very large for example. tinted glass or some
depend on design. location and north-facing windows should types oflow-e glass which
other factors which are dealt have high insulation value. or provide some shading while
with later under the discussions R-value. Since north windows allOwing almost clear views. The
of suntempering and passive receive relatively little direct sun cost of properly shading both
solar systems. in sununer. they do not present east and west windows should
North windows in almost much of a shading problem. So be balanced against the benefits.
every climate lose significant if the choice were between an As many windows as
heat energy and gain very little average-sized north-facing possible should be kept operable
useful sunlight in the winter. window and an east or west- for easy natural ventilation in
East and west windows are likely facing window. north would summer. (See also Orientation.
to increase air conditioning actually be a better chOice. page 16. Reconunended Non-
needs unless heat gain is considering both sununer and South Glass Guidelines. page
minimized with careful attention winter perfonnance. 34. and Shading. page 35)
to shading. East windows catch the
But most of the reasons morning sun. Not enough to
people want windows have very provide significant energy. but.
little to do with energy. so the unfortunately. usually enough to
best design will probably be a cause potential overheating
good compromise between problems in summer. If the
energy effiCiency and other views or other elements in the
benefits. such as bright living house's design dictate east
spaces and views. windows. shading should be
Double-glazing of all non- done with particular care.
solar glazing is advisable. Low-e
glazing on all non-solar windows
may be an especially useful
solution because some low-e
coatings can insulate in winter
and shield against unwanted
heat gain in sununer.
A chart is provided with the
worksheets that gives typical
window R-values for generic
window types. When possible.
however. manufacturer's data
based on National Fenestration
Rating Council procedures
should be used. The R-values
that result from procedures
4. Mechanical • Night Setback: Clock In the National AsSOCiation of
Systems thermostats for automatic Home Builders' Energy-Efficient
setback are usually very effective House Project, all the rooms
The passive solar features in the - but in passive solar systems were fed with low, central air
house and the mechanical with large amounts of thermal supplies, as opposed to the
heating, ventilating and air mass (and thus a large capacity usual placement of registers
conditioning systems (HVAC) will for storing energy and releasing under windows at the end of
it during the night), setback of long runs. This resulted in good
interact all year round, so the
most effective approach will be the thermostat may not save comfort and energy performance.
to design the system as an very much energy unless set The performance of even the
integrated whole. HVAC design properly to account for the time most beautifully designed
is, of course, a complex subject, lag effects resulting from the passive solar house can easily be
but four areas are particularly thermal mass. undermined by details like
worth noting in energy-efficient • Ducts: One area often uninsulated ducts, or by
houses: neglected but of key importance overlooking other basic energy
• System Sizing: Mechanical to the house's energy conservation measures.
systems are often oversized for performance is the design and
the relatively low heating loads location of the ducts. Both the
in well-insulated passive solar supply and return ducts should
houses. Oversized systems will be located within insulated
cost more in the first place, and areas, or be well insulated if they
will cycle on and off more often, run in cold areas of the house.
wasting energy. The back-up All segments of ducts should be
systems in passive solar houses sealed at the jOints. The joints
should be sized to provide 100% where the ducts turn up into
of the heating or cooling load on exterior walls or penetrate the
the design day, but no larger. ceiling should be particularly
Comparing estimates on system tight and sealed.
sizes from more than one • System Efficiency: Heating
contractor is probably a good system efficiency is rated by the
idea. annual fuel utilization efficiency
(AFUE). Cooling system
efficiency is rated by the
seasonal efficiency is rating
(SEER). The higher the number,
the better the performance.
JacksoD, Mississippi
5. South-Facing Glass The third limit on south- When the solar glazing is
facing glass is the total of all tilted, its winter effectiveness as
South-facing solar glass is a key passive solar systems combined, a solar collector usually
component of any passive solar which should not exceed 20% of increases. However, tilted
system. The system must total floor area. Using more glazing can cause serious
include enough solar glazing for south glass than this limit could overheating in the summer if it.
good performance in winter, but lead to overheating even in is not properly shaded.
not so much that cooling winter. Ordinazy vertical glazing is
performance in summer will be For example, a passive solar easier to shade, less likely to
compromised. The amount of system for a 1.500 sf house overheat, less susceptible to
solar glazing must also be might combine 150 sf of direct damage and leaking, and so is
carefully related to the amount gain glazing with 120 sf of almost always a better year-
of thermal mass. Suntempered sunspace glazing for a total of round solution.
houses use no additional 270 sf of solar glazing, or 18% of
thermal mass beyond that the total floor area, well within
already in the wallboard, the direct gain limit of 12% and
framing and furnishings of a the overall limit of 20%. For a
typical house. Houses with design like this, thermal mass
solar architecture must have would be required both in the
additional thennal mass. house and within the sunspace.
There are three types of The Natural Cooling
limits on the amount of south- guidelines in Part Three include
facing glass that can be used recommendations on the window
effectively in a house. The first area that should be operable to
is a limit on the amount of allow for natural ventilation.
glazing for suntempered houses,
7% of the house's total floor
area. Above this 7% limit, mass
must be added.
For direct gain systems in
passive solar houses, the
maximum amount of south-
facing glazing is 12% of total
floor area, regarcUess of how
much additional thennal mass is
provided. This limit will reduce
the problems associated with
visual glare or fabriC fading.
Further details about the most
effective sizing of south glass
and thermal mass for direct gain
systems are provided in Part
Three.
6. Thermal Mass The thermal storage The design issues related to
capabilities of a given material thermal mass depend on the
Some heat storage capacity, or depend on the material's passive system type. For
thermal mass, is present in all conductivity, specific heat and sunspaces and thermal storage
houses. in the framing. gypsum density. Most of the concrete wall systems. the required mass
wallboard, typical furnishings and masollty materials typically of the system is included in the
and floor coverings. In used in passive solar have design itself. For direct gain, the
suntempered houses, this similar specific heats. added mass must be within the
modest amount of mass is Conductivity tends to increase rooms receiving the sunlight.
suffiCient for the modest amount with increasing density. So the The sections on Direct Gain
of south-facing glass. But more major factor affecting Systems, Sunspaces and
thermal mass is required in performance is density. Thermal Storage Walls contain
passive solar houses, and the Generally, the higher the density more information on techniques
question is not only how much, the beUer. for sizing and locating thermal
but what kind and where it mass in those systems.
should be located.
The thermal mass in a
passive solar system is usually a
conventional construction
material such as brick, poured
concrete. concrete masollty, or Heat Storage Properties of Materials
Specific
tile, and is usually placed in the Heat Density Heat Capacity
floor or interior walls. Other Material (Btu/lb OF) (lb/ft3) (Btu/in-sf- OF)
materials can also be used for
thermal mass, such as water or Poured Concrete 0.16-0.20 120 - 150 2.0 - 2.5
"phase change" materials. Phase Clay Masonry 0.19-0.21
change materials store and Molded Brick 120 -130 2.0 - 2.2
release heat through a chemical Extruded Brick 125 -135 2.1 - 2.3
Pavers 130 - 135 2.2 - 2.3
reactions. Water actually has a
higher unit thermal storage Concrete Masonry 0.19-0.22
capacity than concrete or Concrete Masonry Units 80 - 140 1.3 - 2.3
masollty. Water tubes and units Brick 115 - 140 1.9 - 2.3
Pavers 130 - 150 2.2 - 2.5
called "water walls" are
commercially available (general Gypsum Wallboard 0.26 50 1.1
recommendations for these
systems are included in the Water 62.4 5.2
section on Thermal Storage Wall
systems).
7. Orientation When glazing is oriented In the ideal situation, the

more than 15 degrees off true house should be oriented east-
The ideal orientation for solar south, not only is winter solar west and so have its longest wall
glazing is within 5 degrees of perfonnance reduced, but facing south. But as a practical
true south. This orientation will summer air conditioning loads matter, if the house's short side
provide maximum perfonnance. also significantly increase, has good southern exposure it
Glazing oriented to within 15 especially as the orientation goes wUl usually accommodate
degrees of true south will west. The wanner the climate, sufficient glazing for an effective
perfonn almost as well, and the more east- and west-facing passive solar system, provided
orientations up to 30 degrees off glass will tend to cause the heat can be transferred to
- although less effective - will overheating problems. In the northern zones of the house.
stUl provide a substantial level of general, southeast orientations
solar contribution. present less of a problem than
In Jackson, magnetic north southwest.
as indicated on the compass is
actually 5 degrees east of true
north, and this should be
corrected for when planning for
orientation of south glazing.
Magnetic Deviation
Magnetic Diviation is the angle between true
north and magnetic north.
~~-
8. Site Planning for also the figure on page 35
Solar Access showing landscaping for
summer shade.
The basic objective of site
planning for maximum energy
.~
.................•...............• .....
performance is to allow the

south side as much unshaded
exposure as possible during the
winter months. .........••. ..........;.......... ..
" ..-.~ ....
~. .
As discussed above, a good
Solsr Subdivision Layouts
solar orientation is possible Solar access may be provided to the rear
within a relatively large southern yard, the side yard or the front yard of solar
~ 2 Story Buildings Allowed
homes.
arc, so the flexibility exists to
achieve a workable balance Idesl Solsr Access
between energy performance and Buildings, trees or other obstructions should
not be located so as to shade the south wall
other important factors such as of solar buildings. At this latitude, A = 8 ft., B
= 15ft.,andC=34ft.
the slope of the site, the
individual house plan, the
direction of prevailing breezes for Of course, not all lots are large
summer cooling, the views, the enough to accommodate this
street lay-out, and so on. kind of optimum solar access, so
But planning for solar access it's 1mportant to carefully assess
does place some restrictions shading patterns on smaller lots
even on an individual site, and to make the best compromise.
presents even more challenges Protecting solar access is
when planning a complete easiest in subdivisions with
subdivision. Over the years, streets that run within 25
developers and builders of many degrees of east-west, because all
different kinds of projects all lots will either face or back up to
over the countxy have come up south. Where the streets run Solsr Subdivision Layouts
north- south, creation of east- Short east-west cul-de-sacs tied into north-
with flexible ways to provide south collectors is a good street pattern for
adequate solar access. west cul-de-sacs will help ensure solar access.
Once again, there is an ideal solar access.

Two excellent references for
situation and then some degree
ideas about subdivision lay-out
of flexibility to address practical
to protect solar access are
concerns. Ideally, the glazing on
Builder's Guide to Passive Solar
the house should be exposed to
Home Design and Land
sunlight with no obstructions
Development and Site Planning
within an arc of 60 degrees on
for Solar Access.
either side of true south, but
reasonably good solar access will
still be guaranteed if the glazing
is unshaded within an arc of 45
degrees. The figure on this page
shows the optimum situation for
providing unshaded southern
exposure during the winter. See
9. Interior Space Another general principle is 10. Putting it

Planning that an open floor plan wUl allow Together: The House
the collected solar heat to
circulate freely through natural as a System
Planning room lay-out by
considering how the rooms will convection.
Other ideas from effective Many different factors wUl affect
be used in different seasons, and a house's overall performance,
at different times of day, can passive solar houses:
• Orienting internal mass and these factors all interact:
save energy and increase the mechanical system, the
comfort. In houses with passive walls as north-south partitions
that can be "charged" on both insulation, the house's
solar features, the lay-out of tightness, the effects of the
rooms - and interior zones sides.
• Using an east-west partition passive solar features, the
which may include more than appliances, and, very
one room - is particularly wall for thermal mass.
• Avoid dividing the house importantly, the actions of the
important. people who live in the house. In
In general, living areas and between north and south zones.
• Using thermal storage walls each of these areas, changes are
other high-activity rooms should possible which would improve
be located on the south side to (see page 30): the walls store
energy all day and slowly release the house's energy performance.
benefit from the solar heat. The Some energy savings are
closets, storage areas, garage it at night, and can be a good
alternative to ensure privacy and relatively easy to get. Others
and other less-used rooms can can be more expensive and more
act as buffers along the north to buffer noise when the south
side faces the street; difficult to achieve, but may
side, but entry-ways should be provide benefits over and above
located away from the wind. • Collecting the solar energy in
one zone of the house and good energy performance.
Clustering baths, kitchens and A sensible energy-efficient
laundry-rooms near the water transporting it to another by
fans or natural convection house uses a combination of
heater will save the heat that techniques.
would be lost from longer water through an open floor plan.
• Providing south-faCing In fact, probably the most
lines. important thing to remember
clerestories to "charge" north
zones. about designing for energy
performance in a way that will
also enhance the comfort and
value of the house is to take an
integrated approach, keeping in
mind the house as a total
system. On the the following
page is a basic checklist for
energy-efficient design. These
techniques are dealt with in
more detail, including their
impact in your location, in Part
Interior Space Planning Three.
Uving and high activity spaces should be
located on the south.
Checklist for Good Design

r/ 1. Building orientation: A number of innovative techniques can be used for obtaining good solar access. No
matter what the house's design, and no matter what the site, some options for orientation will be more energy-
efficient than others, and even a very simple review of the site will probably help you choose the best option
available.
r/ 2. Upgraded levels of Insulation: It is possible, of course, to achieve very high energy-efficiency with a
"superinsulated" design. But in many cases, one advantage of passive solar design is that energy-efficiency
can be achieved with more economical increases in insulation.
On the other hand, if very high energy performance is a priority - for example, in areas where the cost of
fuel is high - the most cost-effective way to achieve it is generally through a combination of high levels of
insulation and passive solar features.
r/ 3. Reduced air Infiltration: Air tightness is not only critical to energy performance, but it also makes the
house more comfortable.
Indoor air quality is an important issue, and too complex for a complete discussion here, but in general,
the suntempered and passive solar houses built according to the GUidelines provide an alternative approach to
achieving improved energy efficiency without requiring air quality controls such as air to air heat exchangers,
which would be needed if the house were made extremely airtight.
r/ 4. Proper window sizing and location: Even if the total amount of glazing is not changed, rearranging the
location alone can often lead to significant energy savings at little or no added cost. Some energy-conserving
designs minimize window area on all sides of the house - but it's a fact of human nature that people like
windows, and windows can be energy producers if located correctly.
r/ 5. Selection of glazing: Low-emissivity (low-e) glazing types went from revolutionary to commonplace in a
very short time, and they can be highly energy-efficient choices. But the range of glazing possibilities is
broader than that, and the choice will have a significant impact on energy performance. Using different types
of glazing for windows with different orientations is worth considering for maximum energy performance; for
example, using heat-rejecting glazing on west windows, high R-value glazing for north and east windows, and
clear double-glazing on solar glazing.
r/ 6. Proper shading of windows: If windows are not properly shaded in summer - either with shading
devices, or by high-performance glazing with a low shading coefficient - the air conditioner will have to work
overtime and the energy savings of the winter may be canceled out. Even more important, unwanted solar
gain is uncomfortable.
r/ 7. Addition of thennal mass: Adding thermal mass - tiled or paved concrete slab, masonry walls, brick
fireplaces, tile floors, etc. - can greatly improve the comfort in the house, holding heat better in winter and
keeping rooms cooler in summer. In a passive solar system, of course, properly sized and located thermal
mass is essential.
r/ 8. Interior design for easy air distribution: If the rooms in the house are planned carefully, the flow of heat
in the winter will make the passive solar features more effective, and the air movement will also enhance
ventilation and comfort during the summer. Often this means the kind of open floor plan which is highly
marketable in most areas. Planning the rooms with attention to use patterns and energy needs can save
energy in other ways, too - for instance, using less-lived-in areas like storage rooms as buffers on the north
side.
r/ 9. Selection and proper sizing of mechanical systems, and selection of energy-efficient appliances:
High-performance heating, cooling and hot water systems are extremely energy-efficient, and almost always a
good investment. Mechanical equipment should have at least a 0.80 Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE).
Well-insulated passive solar homes will have much lower energy loads than conventional homes, and
should be sized accordingly. Oversized systems will cost more and reduce performance.
Part Three: Strategies for Improving

Energy Performance in Jackson,
Mississippi
1. The Example Tables
2. Suntempering
3. Direct Gain
4. Sunspaces
o. Thermal Storage Wall
6. Combined Systems
7. Natural Cooling Guidelines
22 GUIDELINES PART THREE: STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVING ENERGY PERFORMANCE
• Three numbers The R-values indicated in the

1. The Example
corresponding to those on the Example tables are, of course,
Tables Worksheets: Conservation, apprOximate and are intended to
Auxillary Heat, and Cooling show how incremental
In the following sections of the Performance improvements can be achieved.
Guidelines, the primary passive The Example tables then show All R-values in the Examples
solar energy systems - ~ow the house design could be and Worksheets are equivalent
Suntempering, Direct Gain, changed to reduce winter R-values for the entire
Thermal Storage Walls and heating energy by 20, 40 and construction assembly, not just
Sunspaces - are described in 60%, compared to this Base for the cavity insulation itself,
more detail. Case House. and take into account framing
As part of the explanation of There are, of course, other and buffering effects.
each system, an Example table . ways to achieve energy savings Other assumptions are noted
is provided. The Examples than those shown in the for each Example. However, one
present the following information Examples. The Examples are more general assumption is
about a Base Case House, based designed to show an effective important to note here. When
on a National Association of integration of strategies, and a the Examples were calculated, it
Home Builders study of a typical useful approach to the design of was assumed that natural
construction: the house as a total system. cooling strategies such as those
• Insulation levels (ceilings Using any of these combinations described in these Guidelines
and walls); would result in excellent were used. particularly in the
• Insulation added to the performance in your area. very high-perfonnance systems.
perimeter of slab-on-grade However, they are general The greater the percentage
construction. ; indications only, and using the reduction in heating energy
• Tightness (measured in air Worksheets will give you more needs using passive solar
changes per hour, ACH); infonnation about your specific design, the more shading and
• The amount of glass area on design. natural cooling were assumed.
each side (measured as a The Example assumes a The Examples show passive
percentage of floor area; the 1,500 sf house, but the solar strategies, but an Added
actual square footage for a 1,500 percentages apply to a house of Insulation Example table
sf house is also given as a any size or configuration. (achieving energy savings only
reference pOint); by increasing insulation levels,
• The "percent solar savings" without specific solar features) is
(the part of a house's heating provided in the Summary
energy saved by the solar beginning on page 87.
features); and
2. Suntempering
Examples of Heat Energy Savings
Suntempered
Both suntempered and passive
1,500 sf Single Story House (in a specific location)
solar houses:
• begin with good basic Base
energy-conservation, Case 20% 40% 60%
R-Values
• take maximum advantage of Ceiling/Roof 26 26 34 45
the building site through the Walls 14 13 18 25
right orientation for year-round Slab Edge 0 0 0 2
energy savings, and Glass .9 1.8 1.8 1.8
• have increased south-facing Air Changes/Hour 0.75 0.50 0.66 0.50
glass to collect solar energy.
Suntempertng refers to Glass Area (percent of total floor area)
West 3.0% 2.0% 2.0% 2.0%
modest increases in windows on North 3.0% 4.0% 4.0% 4.0%
the south side. East 3.0% 4.0% 4.0% 4.0%
No additional thermal mass South 3.0% 6.7% 6.7% 6.7%
is used, only the "free mass" in
Solar System Size (square feet)
the house - the framing, South Glass 45 100 100 100
gypsum wall-board and
furnishings. Percent Solar Savings
In a "conventional" house, 10% 19% 22% 28%
about 25% of the windows face Performance (Btu/yr-sf)
south, which amounts to about Conservation 27,212 24,941 19,581 14,281
3% of the house's total floor Auxiliary Heat 24,599 20,024 15,098 10,164
Cooling 15,575 13,079 10,293 8,051
area. In a suntempered house,
the percentage is increased to a Summary: Insulation values and tightness of the house (as measured in
maximum of about 7% of,the ACH) have been increased. The window area has been slightly
floor area. decreased on the west, increased slightly on the east and north, and
increased significantly on the south.
The energy savings are more
modest with this system, but Note: These examples should not be construed as recommendations - the
suntempering is a very low-cost numbers represent the effect of changes in design required to achieve the
strategy. exact savings in annual auxiliary heat. In practice, the designer has great
latitude in selecting values to use.
Of course, even though the
necessity for precise sizing of
glazing and thermal mass does
not apply to suntempertng (as
long as the total south-facing
glass does not exceed 7% of the
total house floor area), all other
recommendations about energy-
effiCient design such as the basic
energy conselVation measures,
room lay-out. siting, glazing type
and so on are still important for
perlormance and comfort in
suntempered homes.
3. Direct Gain houses) and 12%. depending on where the winter sun will fall
how much thennal mass will be directly on it.
The most common passive solar used in the design. as discussed Effective materials for floors
strategy system is called direct below. include painted. colored or vinyl-
gain: sunlight through south- covered concrete. brick (face
facing glazing falls directly into Glazing brick or pavers have even higher
the space to be heated. and is Double glazing is recommended density than ordinary building
stored in thennal mass for direct gain glazing in brick). quarry tile. and dark-
incorporated into the floor or Jackson. The Performance colored ceramic tile lead directly
interior walls. The south Potential table on page 6 shows on the slab.
window area is increased above the relative performance of For houses built with
the 7% limit of a suntempered different types of direct gain crawlspaces or basements. the
house. and additional thennal glazing. You will note from this incorporation of significant
mass is added to store the table that yield increases by 11% amounts of heavy thennal mass
additional solar gains and thus between double and triple or is a little more difficult. Thermal
prevent overheating. low-e glazing. Night insulation mass floor coverings over
also improves energy basements. crawlspaces and
perfonnance dramatically. In lower stories would generally be
fact. as the Perfonnance limited to thin set tile or other
Potential table shows. covering thin mass floors.
the windows at night or on When more mass is reqUired.
cloudy days with the equivalent the next best option is for
of R-4 shades or other material interior walls interior finishes or
will save almost as much energy exterior walls or interior
as with R-9 material. But masonry fireplaces. When
studies have shown that only evaluating costs. the dual
relatively few homeowners will function of mass walls should be
be diligent enough about remembered. They often seIVe
operating their night insulation as structural elements or for fire
to achieve those savings. protection as well as for thennal
Direct Ga/n Energy-efficient glazing. on the storage. Another option is to
Direct gain is the most common passive solar other hand, needs no operation, switch to another passive solar
system in residential applications
and therefore is a more system type such as attached
Sizing Limit convenient and reliable option. slab-on-grade sunspaces or
Total direct gain glass area thermal storage walls built
should not exceed about 12% of Thennal Mass directly on exterior foundation
the house's floor area. Beyond Thennal mass can be walls.
that. problems with glare or incorporated easily into houses Sunlit thennal mass floors
fading of fabriCS are more likely with slab-on-grade floors by should be relatively dark in
exposing the mass. The mass is color. to absorb and store energy
to occur. and it becomes more
much more effective if sunlight more effectively. However. mass
difficult to provide enough
falls directly on it. Covering the walls and ceilings should be
thennal mass for year-round
mass with any insulation light in color to help distribute
comfort.
material. such as carpet. greatly both heat and light more evenly.
So the total south-facing
glass area in a direct gain reduces its effectiveness. A good
strategy is to expose a narrow Ratio of Mass to Glass. The
system should be between 7%
strip about 8 ft. wide along the simplest rule of thumb states:
(the maximum for suntempered
south wall next to the windows
For each added sqjt oj sunlight, as long as it is in the The effectiveness of thermal
direct-gain glass (above the same room, with no other walls mass is relative to the density
7% sW1tempering ltmit), 6 between the mass and the area and thickness. The vertical axis
sqjt oj exposed mass where the sunlight is falling. shows how many square feet of
surface should be added (The 8.3 value is typical, but the mass area are needed for each
within the direct-gain true value does depend on mass added square foot of direct gain.
space. density and thiclmess. Refer to As you can see, performance
the mass thiclmess graph for increases start leveling off after a
The following procedure can be more specific values to use.) few inches of thermal mass.
used to determine a somewhat More south-facing glazing
more accurate estimate. This than the maximum as 4O+-~~----------------~
procedure gives the maximum determined here would tend to 5O#/cI
amount of direct-gain glazing for overheat the room, and to

a given amount of thermal mass. reduce energy performance as
If the amount of direct-gain well. 75#/cI
glazing to be used is already l00#/cI

lmown, thermal mass can be
125#/cI
added until this procedure 15O#/cI
produces the deSired
proportions:
o~----~------~-----+
• Start with a direct gain glass o 5 10 15
area equal to 7% of the house's Thickness (ilches)
total floor area. As noted above,
Mass Thickness
the "free mass" in the house will The effectiveness of thermal mass depends
be able to accommodate this on the density of the material and thickness.
This graph is for wall or ceiling mass in the
much solar energy. direct gain space. The ratio of 8.3 was used
earlier as a representative value. More
• An additional 1.0 sf of direct accurate values can be read from this graph
1:40 for Floor and used in the fourth step of the procedure.
gain glazing may be added for notinSul
every 5.5 sf of uncovered.. sunlit
mass. Carpet or area rugs will Mass Location and Effectiveness In cases in which you are still
Additional mass must be provided for south
seriously reduce the facing glass over 7% of the floor area. The uncertain if thermal mass is
ratio of mass area to additional glass area adequate, you can go to
effectiveness of the mass. The depends on its location within the direct gain
space. Worksheet III: Thermal
maximum mass that can be
considered as "sunlit" may be Mass/Comfort, which is more
Thickness. For most materials, comprehensive.
estimated as about 1.5 times the
the effectiveness of the thermal
south window area.
mass in the floor or interior wall
• An additional 1.0 square foot
increases proportlonally with
of direct gain glazing may be
thiclmess up to about 4 inches.
added for every 40 sf of thermal
After that, the effectiveness
mass in the floor of the room,
doesn't increase as significantly.
but not in the sun.
A two-inch mass floor will be
• An additional 1.0 square foot
about two-thirds as effective in a
of direct gain glazing may be
direct gain system as a four-inch
added for each 8.3 sf of thermal
mass floor. But a six-inch mass
mass placed in the wall or
floor will only perform about
ceiling of the room. Mass in the
eight percent better than a four-
wall or ceiling does not have to
inch floor.
be located directly in the
Examples of Heat Energy Savings

Passive Solar-Direct Gain
1,500 sf Single Story House
Base
Case 20% 40% 60%
R-values
Ceiling/Roof 26 25 32 39
Walls 14 13 17 21
Slab Edge 0 0 0 1
Glass .9 1.8 1.8 1.8
Air Changes/Hour 0.75 0.53 0.75 0.55
Glass Area (percent of total floor area)

West 3.0% 2.0% 2.0% 2.0%
North 3.0% 4.0% 4.0% 4.0%
East 3.0% 4.0% 4.0% 4.0%
South 3.0% 7.5% 9.3% 12.0%
Added Thermal Mass

Percent of Floor Area 0.0% 2.7% 13.8% 30.0%
Solar System Size (square feet)

South Glass 45 111 139 180
Added Thermal Mass 0 40 206 450
Percent Solar Savings

10% 21% 28% 39%
Performance (Btu/yr-sf)
Conservation 27,212 25,405 21,152 16,703
Auxiliary Heat 24,599 20,020 15,158 10,112
Cooling 15,575 13,606 12,003 11,514
Summary: Insulation and tightness have been increased. South-facing

glazing has been substantially increased. For these examples, added
mass area is assumed to be six times the excess south glass area.
Jackson, Missiuippi
4. Sunspaces sunspace to be considered truly glass-to-mass ratio. on a clear
thermally isolated. winter day a temperature swing
The sunspace is a very popular The sunspace should not be of about 30'F should be
passive solar feature. adding an on the same heating system as expected.
attractive living space as well as the rest of the house. A well The sunspace floor is a good
energy performance. There are designed sunspace will probably location for thermal mass. The
many variations on the basic need no mechanical heating mass floors should be dark in
theme of the sunspace. and the system. but if necessary. a small color. No more than 15-25% of
possibilities for sunspace design fan or heater may be used to the floor slab should be covered
are extraordinarily diverse protect plants on extremely cold with rugs or plants. The lower
(References 17 through 20 winter nights. edge of the south-facing
include specific design ideas). The sunspace should be just windows should be no more
As used in this gUide. a as tightly constructed and than six inches from the floor to
sunspace is a separate direct- insulated as the rest of the make sure the mass in the floor
gain room on the south side of house. receives suffiCient direct
the house. The wall that sunlight. If the windows sills are
separates the house from the higher than that. additional
sunspace is called a common mass may have to be located in
wall. The common wall should the walls.
include operable windows and Another good location for
doors that may be closed so that thermal mass is the common
when the sunspace is not wall (the wall separating the
providing heat to the house it is sunspace from the rest of the
not draining heat from the house). Options for the common
house. wall are discussed in more detail
The sunspace concept used later.
in these Guidelines can be used Water in various types of
year-round. will provide most or containers is another form of
all of its own energy needs. and energy storage often used in
will contribute to the energy Sunspaces sunspaces.
Sunspaces provide useful passive solar
needs of the rest of the house as heating and also provide a valuable amenity
well. to homes. Glazing
Sunspaces are referred to as Clear. double-glazing is
"isolated gain" passive solar Thermal Mass recommended for sunspaces.
systems. because the SUnlight is A sunspace has extensive south- Adding the second pane makes a
collected in an area which can facing glass. so sufficient large improvement in energy
be closed off from the rest of the thermal mass is very important. savings. Triple-glazing or low-e
house. During the day. the Without it. the sunspace is liable coatings. on the other hand. will
doors or windows between the to be uncomfortably hot during further improve comfort. but will
sunspace and the house can be the day. and too cold for plants have little effect on energy
opened to Circulate collected or people at night. savings.
heat. and then closed at night. However. the temperature in Windows on the east and
and the temperature in the the sunspace can vary more west walls should be small (no
sunspace allowed to drop. It than in the house itself. so more than 10% of the total
should be noted that the about three square feet of four sunspace floor area) but they are
common wall is often mass. and inch thick thermal mass for each useful for cross-ventilation.
not necessarily suffiCient for the square foot of sunspace glazing
should be adequate. With this
Summer Overheating Common Wall Some solar energy may be

Probably the single biggest There are a number of options transferred from the sunspace to
problem encountered in for the sunspace common wall. the rest of the house by
sunspaces is summer The common wall may be a conduction through the common
overheating. Largely. this stems masonry wall. it can also be wall if it is made of thermal
directly from poor design used for thermal mass. in which mass. But energy is mainly
practice and can be avoided. case it should be solid masonry transferred by natural
The problem can usually be approximately 4 to 8 inches convection through openings in
traced directly to poor glazing thick. Another option is a frame the common wall - doors.
orientations - too much non- wall with masonry veneer. windows and/ or vents.
south glazing. Glass on the roof In mUd climates. and when • Doors are the most common
or on the west walls can create the sunspace is very tightly opening in the common wall. If
major overheating. constructed. an uninsulated only doorways are used. the .
Like tilted or sloped glazing. frame wall is probably adequate. open area should be at least
glazed roofs can increase solar However. insulating the common 15% of the sunspace south-glass
gain. but they can also present wall to about R-lO is a good area.
big overheating problems and idea. especially in cold climates. • Windows or sliding glass
become counter-productive. If An insulated common wall will doors will provide light and
either glazed roofs or tilted help guard against heat loss views. The window area in the
glazing are used in the during prolonged cold. cloudy common wall should be no
sunspace. special care should be periods. or if the thermal storage larger than about 40% of the
taken to make sure they can be in the sunspace is insuffiCient. entire common wall area. Per
effectively shaded during the Probably the most important unit area. window and slider
summer and. if necessary. on factor in controlling the openings are about one-half as
sunny days the rest of the year. temperature in the sunspace. effective for natural convection
too. The manufacturers of and thus keeping it as as are door openings.
sunspaces and glazing are comfortable and effiCient as
developing products with better possible. is to make sure the
ability to control both heat loss exterior walls are tightly
and heat gain (for example. roof constructed and well-insulated.
glazing with low shading
coeffiCients. shading treatments
and devices. etc.).
You'll note that in the
Performance Potential chart on
page 6. sunspaces with glazed
roofs or sloped glazing perform
very well. This analysis
assumes effective shading in the
summer. If such shading is not
economical or marketable in
your area. you should consider
using only vertical glazing, and
accepting somewhat less energy
performance in winter.
Summer ventilation
The sunspace must be vented to Examples of Heat Energy Savings
Passive Solar-Sunspace
the outside to avoid overheating
in the summer or on warm days
in spring and fall. A properly Base
vented and shaded sunspace Case 20% 40% 60%
R·Values
can function much like a Ceiling/Roof 26 24 29 34
screened-in porch in late spring, Walls 14 12 15 18
summer, and early fall. Slab Edge 0 0 0 0
Glass .9 1.8 1.8 1.8
Operable windows and/ or
vent openings should be located Air Changes/Hour 0.75 0.59 0.70 0.62
for effective cross-ventilation.
and to take advantage of the Glass Area (percent of total floor area)
West 3.0% 2.0% 2.0% 2.0%
prevailing summer wind. Low
North 3.0% 4.0% 4.0% 4.0%
inlets and high outlets can be East 3.0% 4.0% 4.0% 4.0%
used in a "stack effect". since South (windows) 3.0% 3.0% 3.0% 3.0%
warm air wUl rise. These Sunspace 0.0% 6.7% 11.0% 17.0%
ventilation areas should be at Solar System Size (square feet)
least 15% of the total sunspace South Glass 45 45 45 45
south glass areas. Sunspace Glass 0 100 165 255
Where natural ventilation is Sunspace Thermal Mass 0 302 495 765
insufficient. or access to natural Percent Solar Savings
breezes is blocked. a small. 10% 25% 35% 49%
thermostat-controlled fan set at
about 76'F will probably be a
Conservation 27,212 26,782 23,479 19,989
useful addition. Auxiliary Heat 24,599 20,012 15,073 10,119
Cooling 15,575 14,875 14,439 1.5,546
Summary: Insulation (for the 40 and 60% savings) and tightness have
been increased. North and east-facing glazing have been increased
slightly. The sunspace assumed here is semi-enclosed (surrounded on
three sides by conditioned rooms of the house, as in Figure SSC1 of the
worksheets), with vertical south glazing. The common wall is a thermal
mass wall made of masonry. Sunspace glazing is assumed to be double.
5. Thermal Storage Selective Sur:faces

Wall A selective surface is a special
adhesive foil applied to the
The Thermal Storage Wall- exterior side of the mass of
also referred to as a Trombe wall Thermal Storage Walls.
or an indirect gain system - is a Selective surfaces absorb a large
south-facing glazed wall. usually percentage of solar radiation but
built of masomy. but sometimes radiate very little heat back to
using water containers or phase the out-of-doors (low emittance).
change materials. The masomy To be effective. selective
is separated from the glazing Thermal Storage Wall. , , surfaces must be applied
A thermal storage walliS an eff6f:tive, paS,SIV6
only by a air space. Sunlight is solar system, especially to proVide mghttime carefully for 100% adhesion to
heating.
absorbed directly into the wall the mass surface.
instead of into the living space. In Jackson. Mississippi. a
A masomy Thermal Storage Wall selective surface will improve
The energy is then released into should be solid. and there
the living space over a relatively Thermal Storage Wall
should be no openings or vents performance by about 48%.
long period. The time lag varies either to the outside or to the
with different materials. living space. Although vents to
thicknesses and other factors. Mass Material and
the living space were once Thickness
but typically. energy stored in a commonly built into Thermal
Thermal Storage Wall during the In general. the effectiveness
Storage Walls. experience has of the Thermal Storage Wall will
day is released during the demonstrated that they are
evening and nighttime hours. increase as the density of the
ineffective. Vents between the material increases.
The outside surface of a Thermal Storage Wall and the
thermal storage wall should be a The optimum thickness of
house tend to reduce the the wall depends on the density
very dark color - an system's nighttime heating
absorptance greater than 0.92 is of the material chosen. but
capability. and to increase the performance is not very sensitive
recommended. temperature fluctuation in the
The summer heat gain from to thickness. The following
house. Vents to the outside are chart indicates the
a Thermal Storage Wall is much similarly ineffective. and do little
less - roughly 71% less - than recommended thickness of
to reduce summer heat gains. Thermal Storage Walls made of
from a comparable area of direct
gain glazing. various materials. As thickness
Glazing is increased. the time delay of
Double glazing is recommended heat flow through the wall is
for Thermal Storage Walls unless increased. and the temperature
a selective surface is used. In variation on the inside surface is
this case. single glazing performs decreased.
about the same as double .
glazing.
The space between the
glazing and the thermal mass
should be one to three inches.
Mass Wall Thickness Examples of Heat Energy Savings

(inches) Passive Solar-Thermal Storage Wall
Density Thickness
Material (Ib/cf) (inches) Base
Case 20% 40% 60%
Concrete 140 8-24 R-Values
Concrete Masonry 130 7- Ceiling/Roof 26 24 26 30
18 Walls 14 12 13 15
Clay Brick 120 7-16 Slab Edge 0 0 o· 0
Ltwt. Concrete 110 6-12 Glass .9 1.8 1.8 1.8
Masonry
Adobe 100 6-12 Air Changes/Hour 0.75 0.69 0.51 0.61
Glass Area (percent of total floor area)

West 3.0% 2.0% 2.0% 2.0%
Water Walls North 3.0% 4.0% 4.0% 4.0%
Water provides about twice the East 3.0% 4.0% 4.0% 4.0%
heat storage per unit volume as South 3.0% 3.0% 3.0% 3.0%
Thermal Storage Wall 0.0% 6.5% 11.0% 17.0%
masonry. so a smaller volume of
mass can be used. In "water Solar System Size (square feet)
walls" the water is in Ught. rigid South Glass 45 45 45 45
Thermal Storage Wall 0 97 164 255
containers. The containers are
shipped empty and easily Percent Solar Savings
installed. Manufacturers can 10% 28% 40% 55%
provide information about
durability. installation. Conservation 27,212 27,784 25,364 22,700
protection against leakage and Auxiliary Heat 24,599 20,015 15,069 10,107
other characteristics. At least Cooling 15,575 12,471 10,729 9,720
30 pounds (3.5 gallons) of water
Summary: In the case of a Thermal Storage Wall, south-facing glazing
should be provided for each and thermal mass are incorporated together. The estimates here assume
square foot of glazing. This is a 12-inch thick concrete Thermal Storage Wall with a selective surface
equivalent to a water container and single glazing.
about six inches thick. having
the same area as the glazing.
6. Combined Systems 7. Natural Cooling Fortunately, many of the

Guidelines features that help maintain
Although the previous sections comfort and reduce energy
have presented separate The term "natural cooling" is needs in winter also work well in
discussions of four different used here to describe techniques summer. For instance,
systems, it isn't necessary to which help a house stay cool in additional thermal mass
choose one and only one system. summer but which require little performs well year-round.
In fact, passive solar features or no energy. Natural cooling Masonry materials are equally
work well in combination. techniques work to help reduce effective in staying cool and
For example, direct gain air-conditioning, not replace it. storing heat. If mass surfaces
works very well in conjunction These techniques are useful can be exposed to cool night-
with a sunspace or thermal not only in passive solar houses, time temperatures - a
storage wall. Since thermal but in "conventional" houses as technique referred to as "night
storage walls release energy well. The strategies outlined ventilation" - they will help the
more slowly than direct gain below - attention to the house stay cooler the next day.
systems, they are useful for location, size and shading of A California utility found during
supplying heat in the evening glazing, using the opportunities studies of small test buildings
and at night, whereas the direct on the site for shading and that on hot summer days the
gain system works best during natural ventilation, and using workmen at the facility always
the day. Although using a fans - can reduce air ate lunch in the masonry test
sunspace, thermal storage wall conditioning needs and increase building because it stayed much
and direct gain system in the comfort even if the house has no cooler than any of the others.
same house may result in passive solar heating features. (See Reference 9)
excellent performance, such But shading is particularly The additional insulation
combinations do require a large important in passive solar that increases winter
south-facing area, and careful houses, because the same performance will also work to
design to make sure the systems features that collect SUnlight so improve summer performance by
are well-integrated with each effectively in winter will go right conserving the conditioned air
other and with the house's on collecting it in summer - inside the house. And some
mechanical system. resulting in uncomfortably hot low-e windows and other glazing
rooms and big air conditioning with high R-value can help
bills - unless they are shaded shield against unwanted heat
and the house is designed to gain in summer.
help cool itself.
The potential of some
natural and low-energy cooling Cooling Potential
8asecase 15,575 8tu/yr-sf
strategies is shown in the
following table for Jackson. Energy
Worksheet IV: CooRng· Savings Percent
Performance Level indicates Strategy (8tu/yr -sf) Savings
the total annual cooling load. No Night Ventilation 1
and so can give an idea of how without ceiling fans 0 0%
the passive solar features with ceiling fans 4,270 27%
increase the cooling load and
Night Ventilation 1
how much reduction is possible without ceiling fans 1,930 12%
when natural cooling techniques with ceiling fans 6,100 39%
are used.
High Mass2
It should be noted that the
without ceiling fans 410 3%
Cooling Performance numbers with ceiling fans 200 1%
presented in the Examples for
each passive solar strategy 1 With night ventilation, the house is ventilated at night when
temperature and humidity conditions are favorable.
assume that the design also
includes the recommended 2 A "high mass" building is one with a thermal mass area at least equal
natural cooling techniques. This to the house floor area.
is especially true of the higher
percentage reductions; these
assume better heating
performance. but also better
shading and other natural
cooling strategies.
Glazing and so they may interfere with

As mentioned earlier. poorly Added Window Cooling Load desirable views. It is important
placed windows can increase air to note. however. that some
Added Annual
conditioning loads dramatically. Cooling Load types of low-e windows block
It is generally best in terms of Orientation (Btu/yr-sf) solar transmission but also
energy performance to carefully allow clear views. These
size non-solar glazing as North 50,240
East 96,330 treatments are not
indicated in the following table. South 80.330 recommended for south
West 104,740 windows.
Skylights 191,110 As the table shows. skylights
Recommended Non-south present a high potential for
Glass Guidelines These values are based on
double glass with a shading overheating, and are usually
Percent coeffiCient of 0.88. When glazing difficult to shade properly. But
of Total with a different shading skylights are very popular
Orientation Floor Area coefficient is used the values may
be scaled proportionally. features. and they save
East 4% electricity by providing good
North 4% natural daylight to the house.
West 2% These numbers can be reduced In some parts of the country
by shading as described in the almost every new house has at
next section. least one skylight. A good
West-facing windows present Using special glazing or working compromise can usually
particularly difficult shading window filins that block solar be achieved if skylight area is
problems. If glazing is added transmission (low shading limited, and if careful attention
above the levels indicated. the coeffiCient) is an option often is paid to shading. either by
need for shading will become used in particularly hot trees or by devices such as roller
even more critical. climates, but the more effective shades or blinds. The
Cooling loads increase as they are at blocking sunlight. manufacturer can usually give
window area increases. This the less clear they are. as a rule, guidance on shading options for
relationship for Jackson is a particular skylight design.
shown in the following table for
each of the cardinal window
orientations. For instance when
a square foot of west area is
added or subtracted. the annual
cooling load increases or
decreases by 104.740 Btu/yr-sf.
Shading Roof Overhangs. Fixed
Shading strategies generally fall overhangs are an inexpensive
into three categories: feature. and require no
landscaping. roof overhangs and operation by the home owner.
exterior or interior shading They must be carefully designed.
devices. however. Otherwise. an
overhang that blocks summer
Landscaping. The ideal site for sun may also block sun in the
summer shading has deciduous Landscaping for Summer Shade spring. when solar heating is
trees to shade the east and west Trees and other landscaping features may be desired. and. by the same token.
effectively used to shade east and west
windows. Even small trees such windows from summer solar gains. an overhang sized for maximum
as fruit trees can help block sun solar gain in winter will allow
hitting the first story of a house. Other landscaping ideas for solar gain in the fall on hot days.
Trees on the south side can summer shade: The following figure may be used
present a difficult choice. Even • Trellises on east and west to determine the optimum
deciduous trees will shadow the covered with vines. overhang size.
solar glazing during the winter • Shrubbery or other plantings In Jackson. an ideal
and interfere with solar gain. In to shade paved areas. overhang projection for a four
fact. trees on the south side can • Use of ground cover to foot high window would be 14
all but eliminate passive solar prevent glare and heat inches and the bottom of the
performance. unless they are absorption. overhang would be 12 inches
very close to the house and the • Trees, fences. shrubbery or above the top of the window.
low branches can be removed. other plantings to "channel"
allowing the winter sun to summer breezes into the house.
penetrate under the tree canopy. • DeCiduous trees on the east
However. in many cases the and west sides of the house. as
trees around the house are shown above. to balance solar
bigger selling points than the gains in all seasons.
energy efficiency and the builder
must make a choice.
If a careful study of the
shading patterns is done before
construction. it should be
possible to accomodate the
south-facing glazing while
leaving in as many trees as
possible (see page 17. Site
Planning for Solar Access).
South Overhang Sizinfl
In Jackson, an ideally SIZed south overhang
should allow full exposure of the window
when the sun has a noon altitude of 39
degrees (angle A) and fully shade the window
when the sun has a noon altitude of 76
degrees (angle B).
A combination of carefully sized Ceiling Fans

overhangs on the south windows Ceiling fans will probably save Ceiling Fan Sizes
and shading devices on the other more energy than any other
Minimum Fan
windows will probably be an single cooling strategy. Studies Largest Room Diameter
effective solution. Adjustable show that air movement can Dimension (inches)
overhangs that can be make people feel comfortable at
12 feet or less 36
seasonally regulated are another higher temperatures. As a 12 - 16 feet 48
option. general rule, the thermostat can 16 - 17.5 feet 52
be set 4 degrees higher without 17.5 - 18.5 feet 56
Shading Devices. External affecting comfort if the air is 18.5 or more feet 2 fans
shades are the most effective moving at 100-150 feet per
because they stop solar gain minute. This is enough air
before the sun hits the building. movement to greatly improve A ceiling fan should have a
A wide range of products are· comfort but not enough to minimum clearance of ten
available, from canvas awnings disturb loose papers. inches between ceiling and fan
to solar screens to roll-down to provide adequate ventilation
blinds to shutters to vertical in a standard room with eight-
louvers. They are adjustable foot ceilings. In rooms with
and perform very well, but their higher ceilings, fans should be
limitation is that they require mounted 7.5 to 8.0 feet above
the home owner's cooperation. the floor.
Usually external screens that
can be put up and taken down
once a year like storm windows
are more acceptable to home
owners than those requiring
more frequent operation.
Interior shades must be
operated, too, and have the
further disadvantage of
permitting the sun to enter the
house and be trapped between
the window and the shading
device. But highly reflective
interior blinds and curtains are
relatively low-cost and easy to
operate.
Another shading "device" well
worth considering is a porch.
Especially on the east and west
sides, porches add pleasant
spaces to houses and are
excellent for providing shade to
windows. Carports located on
the east or west are another
option.
Ventilation The best possible
When possible. the house should performance of a whole-house
be positioned on the site to take fan results when a timer. a
advantage of prevailing winds. thermostat and a "humidistat"
During the cooling season. the are used. so that the fan would
prevailing wind is from the only operate when there is less
south. Windows. stairwells. than 60% relative hUmidity and
transoms and other elements a temperature of less than 76'F.
should be located for maximum Natural ventilation and
cross-ventilation in each room. whole-house fans are effective at
The free vent area (unobstructed Ventllstlon for Summer Cooling removing heat. but not at
Natural ventilation is often impaired by
openings like open windows) vegetation and topography. Ventilation fans moving air. Ceiling fans. on the
do not depend on surroundings to be
should be between 6-7.5% of effective. other hand. can often create
total floor area. half located on enough of a breeze to maintain
the leeward and half on the In cooling climates. a whole- comfort at higher temperatures.
windward side of the building. house fan is a good idea for and still use less power than
Insect screens can reduce the aSSisting ventilation. especially required by air conditioning. By
effective free vent area by as in houses with ~ites or designs using natural cooling strategies
much as 50%. Casement or that make natural ventilation and low-energy fans. the days.
awning windows have a 90% difficult. On the other hand. when air-conditioning is needed
open area: double hung windows when the temperature is higher can be reduced substantially.
have only 50%. Casement than about 76'F. a whole-house
windows extend outward from fan will not be very effective.
the house. tending to channel Research indicates that a
breezes through the opening if whole-house fan should pull
properly placed. Improperly approximately 10 ACR. A rule of
placed casements might deflect thumb: for rooms with eight foot
breezes. Double-hung windows ceilings. total floor area
do not have this advantage. multiplied by 1.34 will equal the
Natural ventilation can help necessary CFM of the fan. For
keep houses cool and 10 foot ceilings. multiply floor
comfortable at the beginning and area by 1.67.
end of the cooling season and
thus shorten the time when air
conditioning is required. But
natural ventilation can seldom
do the entire coolingjob.
especially for less than ideal
sites with little natural air
movement.
JacksoD. Mississippi
Passive Solar
Design Strategies
WORKSHEETS

With Support From: .
39
Blank
Worksheets
Jackson
Mississippi
JackHD, Ml••l ••lppi

40
General Project Information
Project Name Floor Area

Location Date
Designer
Worksheet I: Conservation Performance Level
A. Envelope Heat Loss

Construction R-value Heat
Description Area [Table A] Loss
Ceilings/roofs + =
+ =
Walls + =
+ =
Insulated Floors + =
+
Non-solar Glazing + =
+ =
Doors + =
+ = Btu/oF-h
Total
B. Foundation Perimeter Heat Loss

Heat Loss
Factor Heat
Description Perimeter [Table B] Loss
Siabs-on-Grade X =
Heated Basements X =
Unheated Basements X =
Perimeter Insulated CrawlsQ§css X = Btu/oF-h
Total
C. Infiltration Heat Loss

Building
X
Air Changes
X .018 = BtufOF-h
Volume per Hour
D. Total Heat Loss per Square Foot 24 X

Total Heat Loss
+
Floor Area
= Btu/DO-sf
(A+B+C)
E. Conservation Performance Level
Total Heat
X
Heating Degree
X
Heating Degree
= BtuIyr-sf
Loss per Days [Table C] Day Multiplier

Square Foot [Table C]
F. Comparison Conservation Performance (From Previous Calculation or from Table 0) Btulyr-sf
CompueLmeEtoLmeF
41
Worksheet II: Auxiliary Heat Performance Level
A. Projected Area of Passive Solar Glazing

Solar System ROU~h Frame Net Area Adjustment Projected
Reference Code rea Factor Factor (Table E] Area
X 0.80 X =
X 0.80 X =
X 0.80 X =
X 0.80 X =
X 0.80 X =
X 0.80 X =
X 0.80 X =
sf
Total Area Total
Projected
Area
Total
+
Floor
= Total Projected
Projected Area Area per
Area Square Foot
B. Load Collector Ratio

24 X +
Total Total
Heat Loss Projected
[Worksheet I] Area
C. Solar Savings Fraction

System
Solar Savings
Solar System Projected Fraction
Reference Code Area (Table F]
X =
X =
X =
X =
X =
X =
X =
Total
+
Total
= Solar
Projected Sa9ings
Area Fraction
D. AuxlHary Heat Performance Level
[ 1-
Solar
X
Conservation
= Btu/yr-sf
Savings Performance
Fraction Level [Worksheet I,
Step E]
E. Comparative AuxlUary Heat Performance (From Previous Calculation or from Table G) Btutyr-sf
Compare Lme D to Lme E
JackSOD, Mlnissippi
42
Worksheet m: Thermal Mass/Comfort
A. Heat Capacity of Sheetrock and Interior Furnishings

Unit Total
Heat Heat
Floor Area Capacity Capacity
Rooms with Direct Gain X 4.7 =
Spaces Connected to Direct Gain Spaces X 4.5 =
Btu/OF
Total
B. Heat Capacity of Mass Surfaces Enclosing Direct Gain Spaces

Unit Heat
Total Heat
Mass Description
(include thickness) Area C~ci~
IT Ie ] Capacity
Trombe Walls X 8.8 =
Water Walls X 10.4 =
EXl2Qsed Slab in Sun X 13.4
EXl2Qsed Slab Not in Sun X 1.8 =
X =
X =
X =
BtufOF
Total
C. Heat Capacity of Mass Surfaces Enclosing Spaces Connected to Direct Gain Spaces
Unit Heat
Mass Description
IT Ie ]
Total Heat
Capacity
Water Walls X 4.2 =
X =
X =
X =
BtufOF
Total
D. Total Heat Capacity BtufOF

(A+B+C)
E. Total Heat Capacity per Square Foot

Total Heat
+
Conditioned
= BtufOF-sf
Capacity Floor Area
F. Clear Winter Day Temperature Swing

Total Comfort
~~ected Area Factor
[Worksheet II] (Table I)
Direct Gain X =
Sunspaces or X =
Vented Trombe Walls + =
Total Total
Heat
Capacity
G. Recommended Maxtmwn Temperature Swing

Compare Line F to Line G
Jackson, Mlsslulppl
43
Worksheet IV: Summer Cooling Performance Level
A. Opaque Surfaces
Radiant Barrier Absorp- Heat Gain
Heat Loss Factor tance Factor
Description [Worksheet I) [TableJ) [Table K) [Table L) Load
Ceilings/roofs X X X =
X X X =
X X X =
Walls X na X =
X na X =
Doors X na X =
kBtu/yr
Total
B. Non-solar Glazing
Rough Frame Net Area Shade Factor Heat Gain
Description Area Factor [Table M) Factor [Table L) Load
North Glass X 0.80 X X =
East Glass X 0.80 X X
West Glass X 0.80 X X =

Skylights X 0.80 X X =
kBtu/yr
Total
C. Solar Glazing
Solar System ROU~ Frame Net Area Shade Factor Heat Gain
Description rea Factor [Table M) Factor [Table L) Load
Direct Gain X 0.80 X X =
Storage Walls X 0.80 X X =
Sunsl2ace X 0.80 X X =
X 0.80 X X =
kBtu/yr
Total
D. Internal Gain +( X ) = kBtu/yr
Constant Variable Number of
Component Component Bedrooms
[Table N) [Table N)
E. CooUng Load per Square Foot 1,000 X + Btu/yr-sf

(A+B+C+D) Floor Area
F. Adjustment for Thermal Mass and Ventilation Btu/yr-sf

[Table 0]
G. CooUng Performance Level Btu/yr-sf

(E -F)
H. Comparison CooUng Performance (From Previous Calculation or from Table P) Btu/yr-sf

Compare Line G to Line H
JacksoD, Ml••l ••lppl

44
Table A--coDtlDued ••
Table A-EqulvaleDt Thermal Table D-Base Case CODservatioD
Performance of AuembUes Performance (Btu/yr-a1)
R-values (hr-F-sf/Btu) AS-Doors Base Case 27,212
Solid wood with 2.2
Weatherstripping
A1-CellingslRoof. Metal with rigid 5.9 Table E-ProJected Area
Attic Insulation R-value foam core AdJustmeDt Factors
Construction R-3O R-38 R-49 R-60
Degrees off Solar System Type
27.9 35.9 46.9 57.9 True DG, TW, SSA SSB,
Framed Insulation R-value Table B-Perimeter Beat Lou South WW, SSC SSD SSE
Construction R-19 R-22 R-3O R-38 Factors for Slabs-oD-Grade and o 1.00 0.77 0.75
BasemeDts (Btu/b-F-ft) 5 1.00 0.76 0.75
2xS at1S"oc 14.7 15.8 IS.3
2x6 at 24"oc 15.3 1S.5 17.1 Heated Unheated Insulated 10 0.98 0.75 0.74
2x8 at 16"oc 17.0 18.9 2O.S 21.1 Perimeter SlabHln- Base- Base- Crawl- 15 0.97 0.74 0.73
2x8 at 24"oc 17.S 19.5 21.S 22.2 Insulation Grade menlB menlB spaces 20 0.94 0.72 0.70
2x1 0 atlS"oc 18.1 20.1 24.5 25.7 None 0.8 1.3 1.1 1.1 25 0.91 0.69 0.68
2x1 0 at 24"oc 18.4 20.7 25.5 26.8 R-5 0.4 0.8 0.7 0.6 30 0.87 0.66 0.65
2x12 at1S"oc 18.8 21.0 25.5 30.1 R-7 0.3 0.7 O.S 0.5
2x12 at 24"oc 19.0 21.4 27.3 31.4 R-11 0.3 0.6 0.5 0.4
R-19 0.2 0.4 0.5 0.3
R-30 0.1 0.3 0.4 0.2 Table F-8olar System SaviDg
A2-Framed Walls FraCtlODB
~~Ie Insulation R-value
Framing R-11 R-13 R-19 R-25 Table C-Bea~ Degree Days F1-Dlrect Gain
2x4 at 1S"oc 12.0 13.S (F-day) Load DGC1 DGC2 DGC3
2x4 at 24"oc 12.7 13.9 Collector Double Low-e R-9 Ni~ht
2xS at 1S"oc 14.1 15.4 17.7 19.2 Ratio Glazing Glazing Insulation
2xS at 24"oc 14.3 15.S 18.2 19.8 C1-Heatlng Degree Days (Base 65°F) 400 0.08 0.09 0.10
Double Jackson 2,389 300 0.11 0.11 0.13
Wall Total Thickness (inches) Belzoni 2,707 200 0.15 0.1S 0.18
Framing 8 10 12 14 Brookhaven 2,065 150 0.19 0.20 0.23
25.0 31.3 37.5 43.8 Canton 2,570 100 0.25 0.27 0.31
Columbia 1,881 80 0.30 0.32 0.37
The R-value of insulating sheathing should be added to Greenville 2,635 60 0.36 0.40 0.46
the values in this table. Greenwood 2,716 50 0.41 0.45 0.53
Kosciusko 2,893 45 0.44 0.49 0.57
Moorhead 2,634 40 0.48 0.53 0.61
A3-lnsulateci Floors Natchez 1,941 35 0.52 0.57 0.66
Pickens 2,584 30 0.57 0.63 0.72
Insulation R-value Port Gibson 2,532 25 0.62 0.69 0.79
Framing R-11 R-19 R-30 R-38 Vicksbu~ 2,201 20 0.68 0.76 0.85
2x6sat 1S"oc 18.2 23.8 29.9
yazoo City 2,480 15 0.75 0.83 0.91
2x6s at 24"oc 18.4 24.5 31.5
2x8s at1S"oc 18.8 24.9 31.7 36.0
2x8s at 24"oc 18.9 25.4 33.1 37.9 C2-Heatlng Degree Day Multiplier F2-Trombe Wall.
2x1 0 at 1S"oc 19.3 25.8 33.4 38.1 TWF3 TWA3 TWJ2 TWI4
2x10 at 24"oc 19.3 26.1 34.4 39.8 Passive Solar
2x12 at 16"oc 34.7 39.8 Heatless Glazing Area per Load Unvented Vented Unvented Unvented
19.7 26.5 per Square per Square Foot Collector Non- Non- Selec- Night
2x12 at 24"oc 19.5 26.7 35.5 41.2 .10 Ratio selective selective tive Insulation
Foot .00 .05 .15 .20
These R-values include the buffering effect of a
ventilated crawlspace or unconditioned basement. 12.00 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.20 400 0.06 0.09 0.08 0.05
11.50 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 300 0.09 0.11 0.12 0.08
11.00 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 200 0.13 0.16 0.19 0.14
10.50 1.13 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 150 0.16 0.19 0.25 0.20
A4-Wlndow. 10.00 1.12 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 100 0.23 0.26 0.35 0.29
Air Gap 9.50 1.11 1.12 1.14 1.15 1.17 80 0.27 0.30 0.42 0.35
114 in. 1/2 in. 1/2 in. argon 9.00 1.09 1.11 1.13 1.14 1.15 60 0.33 0.37 0.51 0.43
8.50 1.06 1.09 1.11 1.13 1.14 50 0.38 0.41 0.57 0.49
Standard Metal Frame 8.00 1.04 1.07 1.09 1.11 1.13 45 0.40 0.44 0.60 0.53
Single .9 7.50 1.01 1.04 1.07 1.10 1.12 40 0.43 0.47 0.64 0.57
DoUble 1.1 1.2 1.2 7.00 0.99 1.02 1.05 1.08 1.10 35 0.47 0.51 0.69 0.61
Low-e (e<"o.40) 1.2 1.3 1.3 6.50 0.96 0.99 1.02 1.05 1.08 30 0.52 0.56 0.74 0.66
Metal frame with thermal break 6.00 0.93 0.97 1.00 1.03 1.06 25 0.57 0.61 0.79 0.72
Double 1.5 1.6 1.7 5.50 0.89 0.94 0.97 1.01 1.03 20 0.64 0.68 0.85 0.79
Low-e (e<"o.40) 1.6 1.8 1.8 5.00 0.84 0.90 0.94 0.98 1.01 15 0.73 0.76 0.91 0.87
Low-e (e<"o.20) 1.7 1.9 2.0 4.50 0.78 0.85 0.90 0.95 0.98
Wood frame with vinyl cladding 4.00 0.71 0.80 0.86 0.91 0.95
Double 2.0 2.1 2.2 3.50 0.65 0.73 0.81 0.87 0.92
Low-e t"o.40!
Low-e e<"o.20
2.1
2.2
2.4
2.6
2.5
2.7
3.00
2.50
0.56
0.44
0.67
0.58
0.74
0.68
0.82
0.76
0.88
0.83
Low-e e<"().1 0 2.3 2.6 2.9 2.00 0.29 0.47 0.60 0.69 0.77
These R-values are based on a 3 mph wind speed and
are typical for the entire rough framed opening.
Manufacture's data, based on National Fenasntion
Rating Council procedures, should be used when
available. One half the R-value of movable insulation
should be added, when appropriate.
JackSDD, Miaalsslppl
45
F3-Water Walls Table H-Umt Heat Capacities Table L-Heat Gain Facton
Load WWA3 WWB4 WWC2 (Btu/F-sf) Ceiling/roofs 63.4
Collector No Night Night Selective Walls and Doors 28.6
Ratio Insulation Insulation Surface North Glass SO.2
H1-Mase Surfaces Enclosing Direct Gain East Glass 96.3
400 0.09 0.06 0.07 Spaces West Glass 104.7
300 0.12 0.10 0.11 Skylights 191.1
200 0.17 0.18 0.18 Thickness (inches) Direct Gain Glazing SO.3
lSO 0.21 0.24 0.25 Material 2 3 4 6 8 12 Trombe Walls and 23.6
100 0.29 0.35 0.35 Poured Conc. 1.8 4.3 6.7 8.8 11.311.5 10.3 Water Walls
SO 0.34 0.42 0.42
60 0.41 0.52 0.51
Cone. Masonry 1.8 4.2 6.5 8.4 10.210.0 9.0 suns~ces
Face Brick 2.0 4.7 7.1 9.0 10.4 9.9 9.0 SSl 54.9
SO 0.46 0.58 0.57 2.1 4.8 7.1 8.5 8.6 8.0 7.6 SSBl 54.9
45 0.49 0.62 0.60 Flarc Stone
Buider Brick 1.5 3.7 5.4 6.5 6.6 6.0 5.8 SSCl 23.6
40 0.52 0.66 0.64 Adobe 1.3 3.2 4.8 5.5 5.4 4.9 4.8 SSDl 54.9
35 0.57 0.70 0.69 Hardwood 0.4 1.4 1.8 1.7 1.5 1.5 1.5 SSEl 54.9
30 0.61 0.75 0.74 Water 5.2 10.415.6 20.8 31.2 41.6 62.4
25 0.67 0.81 0.79
20 0.73 0.87 0.85
15 0.81 0.93 0.92
H2-Rooms with no Direct Solar Gain Table M-8bading Facton
Thickness (inches) Projection
F4-Sunspaces Material 1 2 3 4 6 8 12 Factor South East North West
Load Poured Cone. 1.7 3.0 3.6 3.8 3.7 3.6 3.4 0.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00
Collector Sunspace Type Cone. Masonry 1.6 2.9 3.5 3.6 3.6 3.4 3.2 0.20 0.89 0.95 0.92 0.95
Ratio SSAl SSBl SSCl SSDl SSEl Face Brick 1.8 3.1 3.6 3.7 3.5 3.4 3.2 0.40 0.72 0.84 0.84 0.85
400 0.15 0.12 0.08 0.15 0.13 Fla~ Stone 1.9 3.1 3.4 3.4 3.2 3.1 3.0 0.60 0.57 0.73 0.76 0.73
0.17 0.14 0.11 0.19 Buider Brick 1.4 2.6 3.0 3.1 2.9 2.7 2.7 O.SO O.SO 0.62 0.68 0.62
300 0.16 Adobe 1.2 2.4 2.8 2.8 2.6 2.4 2.4
200 0.22 0.18 0.15 0.24 0.21 1.00 0.45 0.53 0.59 0.53
150 0.26 0.22 0.19 0.30 0.25 Hardwood 0.5 1.1 1.3 1.2 1.1 1.0 1.1 1.20 0.41 0.45 0.51 0.45
100 0.33 0.28 0.26 0.38 0.33 Multiply by 0.8 for low-e glass, 0.7 for tinted glass and
SO 0.37 0.32 0.30 0.43 0.38 0.6 for low-e tinted glass.
60 0.43 0.38 0.37 0.51 0.45
SO 0.48 0.42 0.41 0.56 0.50 Table l-Comfort Facton (Btu/sf)
45 0.50 0.44 0.44 0.59 0.53
40 0.53 0.47 0.47 0.62 0.56 Direct Gain 870 Table N-lDtemal Gala Facton
35 0.57 0.51 0.51 0.66 0.60 Sunspaces and 290 Constant Component 2,9SO kBtulyr
30 0.61 0.55 0.56 0.70 0.64 Vented Trombe Walls
25 0.66 0.60 0.61 0.75 0.69 Variable Component 1,250 kBtu/yr-BR
20 0.72 0.66 0.68 0.81 0.76
15 O.SO 0.74 0.76 0.88 0.83
Table J-Radiant Barrier Facton Table o-Thermal Mass and

Radiant Barrier 0.75 Ventilation Acijuatment (Btu/yr-sf)
No Radiant Barrier 1.00 Total Heat Night Night No Night No Night
Capacity Vent w/ Vent w/ No Vent w/ Vent w/ No
per SF Ceil. Fan Ceil. Fan Ceil. Fan Ceil. Fan
0.0 5,430 1,540 3,600 -400
Table K-80lar Absorptances 1.0 6,770 2,600 4,940 660
2.0 7,360 3,190 5,530 1,260
Color Absorptance 3.0 7,610 3,530 5,7SO 1,590
Gloss White 0.25 4.0 7,720 3,710 5,900 1,780
Semi-gloss White 0.30 5.0 7,770 3,820 5,940 1,880
Light Green 0.47 6.0 7,790 3,880 5,970 1,940
Kelly Green 0.51 7.0 7,SOO 3,910 5,980 1,970
Medium Blue 0.51 8.0 7,810,3,930 5,980 1,990
Medium Yellow 0.57 9.0 7,810 3,940 5,980 2,000
Medium Orange 0.58 10.0 7,810 3,940 5,980 2,010
Medium Green 0.59 Total heat capacity per square foot is calculated on
Light Buff Brick 0.60 Worksheet III, Step E.
Bare Concrete 0.65
Red Brick 0.70
Medium Red O.SO
Medium Brown 0.84
Dark Blue-Grey 0.88 Table P-Base Case CooliDg
Dark Brown 0.88 PerforlDllDce (Btu/sf-yr)
Base Case 15,575
Table G-Baae Case AuziUuy Heat

PerforlDllDce (Btu/yr-d)
Base Case 24,599
46
General Should the estimated conservation reduced by about 50 percent to account
The Worksheets provide a calculation perfonnance level be greater than for throw rugs and furnishings.
procedure to estimate the perfonnance desired. the designer should consider As a rule-of-thumb. exposed slab area
level of passive solar building designs. It additional building insulation or should be considered to be in the sun
is recommended that the results be reducing non-south glass area. only when it is located directly behind
compared to Worksheet calculations for south glazing. The maximum slab area
the builder's typical house. Perfonnance Worksheet n-AuzWary Heat that is assumed to be in the sun should
levels for the NAHB Base Case House Performance Level not exceed 1.5 times the adjacent south
used in the Guidelines are also provided This is an estimate of the amount of heat glass area.
for comparison. that must be provided each year from In Step F. the projected area of solar
A separate worksheet is provided for the auxiliary heatlog system. It glazing calculated on Worksheet II is
the four separate performance levels and accounts for savings due to solar energy. used to calculate the comfort
associated base cases. In Step A •the user may enter the perfonnance level. The projected area of
The worksheets are supported by a rough frame area of solar glazing. since it water walls and unvented Trombe walls
number of data tables. The tables are is generally easier to measure the rough is excluded in this step.
given a letter designation and are frame area than it is the net glazing area. A high temperature swing indicates
referenced next to each worksheet entJy. The worksheet includes a net area factor inadequate thermal mass or too much
when applicable. of 0.80 to account for window frames direct gain solar glazing. If the comfort
The floor area used in the and mullions. If the designer enters the performance level is greater than desired
calculations should not include net glass area, then the net area factor is (13°F recommended). additional thermal
suns paces. garages or other 1.00. mass should be added to the building or
unconditioned spaces. The projected area of the solar energy direct gain glazing should be reduced.
systems may be calculated using the
Worksheet I--COnservatlon adjustment factors in Table E or by Worksheet IV-8ummer CooUng
Performance Level making a scaled elevation drawing of the Performance Level
This is an estimate of the amount of heat building facing exactly south and This is an estimate of the annual cooling
energy needed by the building each year measuring the glazing area from the load of the building-the heat that needs
from both the solar system and the scaled drawing. to be removed from the building by an
auxiliary heatlog system. The projected area per square foot is air conditioner in order to maintain
For Step A. it is necessary to measure calculated as the last part of Step A. comfort during the summer.
the net area of surfaces that enclose This is used to determine the heatlog In Step A. only the envelope surfaces
conditioned space. For walls. the net degree days adjustment used on that are exposed to sunlight are to be
surface area is the gross wall area less Worksheet I. Step E. included. For instance. floors over
the window and door area. The load collector ratio is calculated crawlspaces and walls or doors adjacent
Rough frame dimensions are in Step B. This is used to determine the to garages are excluded.
generally used to measure window area. solar savings fractions in Step C. Steps B and C of the worksheet
The R-values in Table A4 are for the The solar energy systems used in Step account for solar gains. They use the
rough frame window area. C should be identical to those used in rough frame area since this is easier to
Heat loss from passive solar systems Step A. The first and last columns of measure. The worksheets include a net
is excluded. The surface area of direct Step A are simply carried down. area factor of 0.80 to account for window
gain glazing. Trombe walls. water walls The solar savings fraction is frames and mullions. If the net window
and the walls that separate sunspaces determined separately for each type of area is used. the net area factor is 1.00.
from the house are ignored. passive solar system by looking up Table M gives the shade factor for
Step A includes consideration of values in Tables Fl through F4. The windows with overhangs based on a
insulated floors over crawlspaces. sunspace system types are shown projection factor. The projection factor is
unheated basements or garages. beneath Table F4. the ratio between the horizontal
R-values are provided in Table A3 that If the auxiliary heat perfonnance level projection of the overhang from the
account for the buffering effect of these calculated in Step D is larger than surface of window and the distance from
unconditioned spaces. When insulation desired. the designer should consider the bottom of the window to the bottom
is not installed in the floor assembly. but increasing the size of the solar energy of the overhang. When windows have
rather around the perimeter of a systems or adding additional solar sunscreens. tlots or films. the shade
crawlspace or unheated basement. Step energy systems. i.e. thermal storage factors in Table M should not be used.
B should be used. walls. Instead. a shading coefficient should be
The perimeter method of Step B is determined from manufacturers'
used for slabs-on-grade. the below-grade Worksheet III-Comfort literature.
portion of heated basements. unheated Performance Level
basements (when the floor is not This is the temperature swing expected
insulated). and perimeter insulated on a clear winter day with the auxiliary
crawls paces (when the floor is not heating system not operatlog.
insulated). Heated basement walls that This worksheet requires that two sub-
are above grade should be considered in areas be defined within the building:
Step A. those areas that receive direct solar
Slab edge perimeter. unheated gains and those areas that are connected
basements or perimeter insulated to rooms that receive direct solar gains.
crawlspaces adjacent to sunspaces Rooms that are separated from direct
should not be included. gain spaces by more than one door
The conservation perfonnance level is should not be included in either
calculated as the product of the heat loss category.
per degree day per square foot [Step D\ Thermal mass elements located in
and the heating degree days. adjusted for unconditioned spaces such as suns paces
the heat loss and solar glazing per are not included.
square foot The adjustment is taken An exposed slab is one finished with If the cooling perfonnance level is
from Table C. based on data calculated vinyl tile. ceramic tile or other highly greater than desired. the designer should
on Worksheet I. Step D and Worksheet H. conductive materials. Carpeted slabs consider reducing non-south glass.
Step A. should not be considered exposed. The providing additional shading or
exposed slab area should be further ~creasing thermal mass.
Passive Solar
Design Strategies
EXAMPLE

With Support From:
U.S. Department ofEnerg,y
___________________________________47
Jackson The Worked

Mississippi Exalllple
48 WORKED EXAMPLE
The Worked Example The house has a semi- The house is equipped with a
enclosed sunspace with vertical ceiling fan to help reduce the
Description of glazing. The sunspace floor has air-conditioning load. North
Example Bullding a four-inch thick slab-on-grade windows have an overhang with
A 1.504 square foot passive with quarry tile set in a mortar a projection factor of 0.30. East
solar. single-family home is used bed. The sunspace is separated and west windows are small and
to illustrate how to fill in the from the conditioned portion of have no effective overhang
worksheets. See sketches for the house by sliding glass doors because of the gable roof. South
the building layout. A variety of and a masomy fireplace wall. windows. including the
design features have been Sunspace ventilation is provided sunspace windows. have an
incorporated into the house to to the outside by awning overhang with a projection factor
help illustrate how to handle windows located at the top and of 0.20.
different situations in the bottom of the south wall. Take-offs from the house are
worksheets. South facing windows given in the worksheets. Refer
The building selected has provide direct gain solar heating to the circled values in the
good insulation as described on to the dining area. kitchen and worksheet tables to locate where
Worksheet I. master bedroom. The south the various values which show
The east portion of the house glazing in the kitchen and dining up in the worksheets come from.
is slab on grade. The great room area provides heat to an exposed Performance is found to be
and master bedroom are slab-on-grade finished with satisfactory on all four
constructed over a crawlspace. ceramic tile to provide direct worksheets.
gain heat storage.
The house faces 10 degrees
to the east of true south.
N Garage
C\J
3040 3040
~
4040
Bedroom Bedroom
Great Room
0C')
~ 0
C\J
'"
0
Master '"
Bedroom
4050 5030
8020
8088 8068 8088
28'
~ Floor Plan -.-..

024 8 12
III
South Elevation
··
I:t :::
North Elevation
Gt'oeat Room
Section
JackSOD, Mississippi
50 WORKED EXAMPLE
51
NOTE: These worksheets are completed

for the example house described on the
previous pages. Also the reference tables
are marked up showing how the numbers
are selected.
Jackson Worked ExaIllple

Mississippi
52
General Project Information
Project Name "PASS I..r£. ~c.. ~,,_,,~ Floor Area

Date
Designer

Description Area [Table A) Loss
Ceilings/roofs i.-1D l~ A"t'\ l<- 'oB~ + 1.,." = "l~
-"-\'\ 'Ill ~~(l>. c..a1w\1oJ 6 41.0 + 'S.I = 1-"3
Walls '"L- II t 'L,- 0 S"'~~,w" tt'C\ 1- + 1')...0 = S3
';.... ll K'i. ~'Ut."- \1.\0 + 12.. 0 = 12.-
Insulated Floors + =
+ =
Non-solar Glazing ~eT4'-
'/s..'1
fM....c:. J!"'t:A.~IIo~ l~EA"" ~l- + t." = "lI-
~,4I.. ~A~ + =
Doors ~OL.-\!> ~~ .... '-\0 + 1.. 'Z... = \6
+ = Btu/oF-h
2..01
Total
B. Foundation Perimeter Heat Loss

Heat Loss
Factor Heat
Description Perimeter [Table B) Loss
Siabs-on-Grade ,~~ X Q..B.O = 1'5~
Heated Basements X =
Unheated Basements X =
Perimeter Insulated CrawlsQaces X =
122 Btu/OF-h
Total
C. Infiltration Heat Loss 11..461

Building
X Q.~o
Air Changes
X .018 = I' 2- Btu/oF-h
Volume per Hour
D. Total Heat Loss per Square Foot 24 X LI, S

Total Heat Loss
+ ,~
Floor Area
= -"-$6 Btu/DO-sf
(A+B+C)

,.~6
Total Heat
X 'L:~B/\
Heating Degree
X '.lO
Heating Degree
= 'I:\'iIC; Btu/yr-sf
Loss per Days [Table C) Day Multiplier

Square Foot (Table C)
F. Comparison Conservation Performance (From Previous Calculation or from Table 0) 1-11(L Btu/yr-sf
Compare Line E to Line F
53
Worksheet II: Auxiliary Heat Performance Level
A. Projected Area of Passive Solar Glazlng

Solar System Rouih Frame Net Area Adjustment . Projected
Reference Code rea Factor Factor [Table E] Area
:D(;~\ ~ X 0.80 X a·liB = 6~
5~'-1 UJ1J X 0.80 X O·'ifl = 1" I
X 0.80 X =
X 0.80 X =
X 0.80 X =
X 0.80 X =
X 0.80 X =
'2--"\6 t,..."J"Z.. sf
Total Area Total
Projected
Area
L">"L
Total
+ ~fo4
Floor
= Total 0. 12:
Projected
. Projected Area Area per
Area Square Foot

I_V,
24 X '-\'\$
Total
+ 'Z-'3~
Total
=
Heat Loss Projected
[Worksheet I] Area

System
Solar Savings
Reference Code Area [Table F]
6q
",-,-1 X 0.4'1.... = 2...~.C\£3
~~~ l6!:S X 0."''2.... = 66.'-\6
X =
X =
X =
X =
X =
9,·44 + '2-'1'l.. = o. '-\"L
Total Total Solar
Projected Savings
Area Fraction
D. AuxiUary Heat Performance Level
[1 - o.'-t"Z-
Solar
X \~~,q
Conservation
= , '''05::> Btu/yr-sf
Savings Performance
Fraction Level [Worksheet I.
Step E]
E. Comparative AuxlUary Heat Performance (From Previous Calculation or from Table G) U1~"S Btu/yr-sf
Compare Line D to Llne E
54
Worksheet ITI: Thermal Mass/Comfort
A. Heat Capacity of Sheetrock and Interior Furnishings

Unit Total
Heat Heat
Rooms with Direct Gain
""'" X 4.7 = 7...\61
Sl2aces Connected to Direct Gain Sl2aces ~~, X 4.5 = 41..'1
Gq-S'Z.. Btu/OF
Total

Unit Heat
Mass Description
IT Ie )
Total Heat
Capacity
Water Walls X 10.4 =
EXl20sed Slab in Sun \03 X 13.4 = \:38 0
EXl20sed Slab Not in Sun \~, X 1.8 = ~'1
X =
X =
X = \ €.l...l Btu/OF
Total
Unit Heat
Mass Description Ca~ci~ Total Heat
Capacity
(include thickness) Area ITa Ie )
Water Walls X 4.2
>..,
=
fAc..e.. llL-W:4-. ~~. \ \I X = 411
X =
X = Btu/OF
'-\ II
Total
D. Total Heat Capacity f!~'i0 Btu/OF

(~B+C)
E. Total Heat Capacity per Square Foot B~~o

Total Heat
+ 1~V-t
Conditioned
= ".~ Btu/OF-sf
Capacity Floor Area

Total Comfort
PtWcected Area Factor
orksheet II) [Table I)
Direct Gain b'I X ~]O = f,Ot7'f.,O

SunsQaces or \6l X l...'iO = 'i1'LJ 0
Vented Trombe Walls \01100
Total
+ S~~o
Total
= rZ... ' OF
Heat
Capacity
G. Recommended Maximum Temperature Swing

Compare Line F to Line G
55
Worksheet IV: Summer Cooling Performance Level
A. Opaque Surfaces
Radiant Barrier Absorp- Heat Gain
Heat Loss Factor , tance Factor
Description [Worksheet I) [TableJ) [Table K) [Table L) Load
Ceilings/roofs 1:1 X \.C'o X o.::f1 X 61·:1 = 1t (,2-
'2..1 X 1·00 X 0.",1 X b~.~ = ~S2
X X X =
Walls B~ X na D."O X U., = "62.-
X na X =
Doors 9 X na 2·"]0 X 1.IiI. (, = :l:I
J2S~ kBtu/yr
Total
Description Area Factor [Table M) Factor [Table L) Load
North Glass 4.0 X 0.80 X 0.68 X ~().2..
= \'-\\C:t
East Glass b X 0.80 X \.0'0 X '1'·1 = 4'-1-
West Glass b X 0.80 X ,.CO X \ c7l.\.'"1 = 501
Skylights X 0.80 X X =
'l-)'~ kBtu/yr
Total
C. Solar Glazing
Solar System Rouih Frame Net Area Shade Factor Heat Gain
iI.,
Description rea Factor [Table M) Factor [Table L) Load
Direct Gain B6 X 0.80 X o. X BO.} = so'S!
Storage Walls X 0.80 X X =

Sunsgace 'Z.P15 X 0.80 X O.S'\ X ~J.' = 1'¥\2
X 0.80 X X =
6.~z.6 kBtu/yr
Total
D. Intemal Gain 'l-t;60
Constant
+( \1.,.50
Variable
X 3
Number of
) = (z'''J.o kBtu/yr

[Table N) [Table N)
E. CooUng Load per Square Foot 1,000 X "2..\ 1.2-\ + '5:0'-\ \"'L\~ Btu/yr-sf
F. Adjustment for Thermal Mass and Ventilation 541!'~ Btu/yr-sf

~ ~ \(;04{' ,.JcJr. '-'I cc::u..... ~ fC.o-J [Table OJ
G. CooUng Performance Level 9l4f. Btu/yr-sf

(E -F)
H. Comparison CooUng Performance (From Previous Calculation or from Table P) \7'5'<' Btu/yr-sf
Compare Line G to Line H
56
Table A.-condnued ••
Table A-Equivalent Thermal Table D-Base Case Conservation
Performance of Assemblies Performance (Btu/yr-s1l
R-values (hr-F-sf/Btu) AS-Doors Base Case 27,212
Solid wood with
Weatherstripping
A1-CeilingsiRoofs
Metal with rigid 5.9 Table E-Projected Area
Attic Insulation R-value foam core Adjustment Facto"
Construction R-38 R-49 R-SO
@
27.9 35.9 46.9 57.9
Table B-Perimeter Heat Loss
Degrees off ~ Solar System Type
True
South
D 1..IlL..
,~
SSA
SSD
SSB,
SSE
Framed Insulation R-value
Construction R-19 R-22 R-3O R-38 Facto" for Slabs-Gn-Grade and o 1.00 o. n 0.75
Basements (Btu/h-F-ft)
2x6 at 16"oc 14.7 15.8 16.3 5 ~ 0.76 0.75
2x6 at 24"oc 15.3 16.5 17.1 Heated Unheated Insulated 10 0.98 0.75 0.74
2x8 at 16"oc 17.0 18.9 20.6 21.1 Perimeter Siabs-on- Base- Base- Crawl- 15 . 0.74 0.73
2x8 at 24"oc 19.6 21.6 22.2 Insulation ments ments spaces 20 0.94 0.72 0.70
2xl 0 at 16"oc
2xl 0 at 24"oc W> 20.1
20.7
24.5
25.5
25.7
26.8
None
R-5
CQ5
0.8 1.3
0.8
1.1
0.7
1.1
0.6
25
30
0.91
0.87
0.69
0.66
0.68
0.65
2x12 at 16"oc 18.8 21.0 25.5 30.1 R-7 0.3 0.7 0.6 0.5
2x12 at 24"oc 19.0 21.4 27.3 31.4 R-l1 0.3 0.6 0.5 0.4
R-19 0.2 0.4 0.5 0.3
R-30 0.1 0.3 0.4 0.2
Table F-8olar System Saving
A2-Framed Walls FnctioDS
Single
Wall Insulation R-value
Framing R-l1 R-13 R-19 R-25 Table C-Hea~ Degree Days Fl-Dlrect Gain
2x4 at 16"oc
2x4 at 24"oc
2x6 at 16"oc
9fr
14.1
13.6
13.9
15.4 17.7 19.2
(F-day)
Load
Collector
Ratio
DGCl
Double
Glazing
DGC2
Low-e
Glazing
DGC3
R-9 Night
Insulation
2x6 at 24"oc 14.3 15.6 18.2 19.8 Cl-Heatlng Degree Days (Baa. 65oF)~ 400 0.08 0.09 0.10
Double Jackson 2, 300 0.11 0.11 0.13
Wall Total Thickness (inches) Belzoni , 7 200 0.15 0.16 0.18
Framing 8 10 12 14 Brookhaven 2,065 150 0.19 0.20 0.23
25.0 31.3 37.5 43.8 Canton 2,570 100 0.25 0.27 0.31
The R-value of insulating sheathing should be added to
the values in this table.
Columbia
Greenville
Greenwood
Kosciusko
Moorhead
1,881
2,635
2,716
2,893
2,634
I. 80
60
50
-n15
40
0.30
0.36
0.44
0.48
0.32
0.40
"-"4 ,,-\1.- 0.45
0.49
0.53
0.37
0.46
0.53
0.57
0.61
A3-lnsulated Floors Natchez 1,941 35 0.52 0.57 0.66
Pickens 2,584 30 0.57 0.63 0.72
Insulation R-value Port Gibson 2,532 25 0.62 0.69 0.79
Framing R-ll R-19 R-3O R-38 Vicksbu!1l 2,201 20 0.68 0.76 0.85
2x6s at 16"oc 18.2 23.8 29.9 Yazoo City 2,480 15 0.75 0.83 0.91
2x6s at 24"oc 18.4 24.5 31.5
2x8s at 16"oc 18.8 24.9 31.7 36.0
2x8s at 24"oc 18.9 25.4 33.1 37.9 C2-Heatlng Degree Day Multiplier F2-Trombe Walla
2xl 0 at 16"oc 19.3 25.8 33.4 38.1
2xl0 at 24"oc 19.3 26.1 34.4 39.8 Passive Solar TWF3 TWA3 TWJ2 TWI4
2x12 at 16"oc 19.7 26.5 34.7 39.8 Heat Loss Glazing Area per Load Unvented Vented Unvented Unvented
2x12 at 24"oc 19.6 26.7 per Square per Square Foot Collector Non- Non- Selec- Night
35.5 41.2 Fool .00 .05 .10 .15 .20 Ratio selective selective tive Insulation
These R-values include the buffering effect of a 12.00 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.20 400 0.06 0.09 0.08 0.05
ventilated crawlspace or unconditioned basement. 11.50 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 300 0.09 0.11 0.12 0.08
11.00 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 200 0.13 0.16 0.19 0.14
10.50 1.13 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 150 0.16 0.19 0.25 0.20
A4-Wlndows 10.00 1.12 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 100 0.23 0.26 0.35 0.29
9.50 1.11 1.12 1.14 1.15 1.17 80 0.27 0.30 0.42 0.35
Ai'j.,Gap
1/4 in. 1I' in. 112 in. argon ~:~ t~ 1.09 1.11 1.13
1.11
1.14
1.13
1.15
1.14
60
50
0.33
0.38
0.37
0.41
0.51
0.57
0.43
0.49
Ao...!.OO 1.04 1.07 1.09 45 0.40 0.44 0.60 0.53
~
Standard Metal Frame 1.13
Single .9 ~·"-I.50 1.01 1.04 1.07 1.12 40 0.43 0.47 0.64 0.57
Double 1.1 1.2 1.2 7.00 0.99 1.02 1.05 1.10 35 0.47 0.51 0.69 0.61
Low-e (e<=O.40) 1.2 1.3 1.3 6.50 0.96 0.99 1.02 1.05 1.08 30 0.52 0.56 0.74 0.66
Metal frame with thermal break 6.00 0.93 0.97 1.00 1.03 1.06 25 0.57 0.61 0.79 0.72
Double 1.5 c1S) 1.7 5.50 0.89 0.94 0.97 1.01 1.03 20 0.64 0.68 0.85 0.79
Low-e (e<=O.40) 1.6 1.8 1.8 5.00 0.84 0.90 0.94 0.98 1.01 15 0.73 0.76 0.91 0.87
Low-e (e<=O.20) 1.7 1.9 2.0 4.50 0.78 0.85 0.90 0.95 0.98
Wood frame with vinyl cladding 4.00 0.71 0.80 0.86 0.91 0.95
Double 2.0 2.1 2.2 3.50 0.65 0.73 0.81 0.87 0.92
Low-e 1e<=o.401 2.1 2.4 2.5 3.00 0.56 0.67 0.74 0.82 0.88
Low-e e<=O.20 2.2 2.6 2. 7 2.50 0.44 0.58 0.68 0.76 0.83
Low-e e<=0.10 2.3 2.6 2.9 2.00 0.29 0.47 0.60 0.69 o.n
These R-values are based on a 3 mph wind speed and
are typical for the entire rough framed opening.
Manufacture's data, based on National Fenestration
Rating Council procedures, should be used when
available. One half the R-value of movable insulation
should be added, when appropriate.
57
Table J-Radiant Barrier Facto ... Table o-Thermal Mass and

Radiant Barrier 0.75 Ventilation Adjustment (Btu/yr-sf)
No Radiant Barrier @ Total Heat Night Night No Night No Night
Capacity Vent wi Vent wi No Vent wi Vent wi No
per SF Ceil. Fan Ceil. Fan Ceil. Fan Ceil. Fan
0.0 5,430 1,540 3,600 -400
Table X-80lar AbsorptanceB 1.0 6,770 2,600 4,940 660
2.0 7,360 3,190 5,530 1,260
Color Absorptance 3.0 7,610 3,530 5,780 1,590
Gloss White 4.0 7,720 3,710 ~1,780 5 6
•q '1
Semi-gloss White
Light Green
Kelly Green
A0.51
s:.
I 5.0
-6.0
7.0
8.0
7,770
7,790
7,800
7,810
3,820
3,880
3,910
3,930
,
59
5,980
5,980
1,880
,
1,970
1,990
Medium Blue 0.51
Medium Yellow 0.57 9.0 7,810 3,940 5,980 2,000
Medium Orange 0.58 10.0 7,810 3,940 5,980 2,010
Medium Green 0.59 Total heat capacity per square foot is calculated on
Light Buff Brick 0.60 Worksheet III, Step E.
~
Bare Concrete
Red Brick
Medium Red 0.80
Medium Brown 0.84
Dark Blue-Grey 0.88 Table P-Baae Case Cooling
Dark Brown 0.88 Performance (Btu/sf-yr)
Base Case 15,575
Table G-Base Case AuzWuy Beat

Base Case 24,599
58 WORKED EXAMPLE
Note: This is a generic example to explain how to

fill out the worksheets. For an example specific to
this book, refer to the worked example on the
prior pages. The actual house design used for both
examples is the same, but specific numerical
values will be different.
Anytown ,
USA
Anytown, USA
60 INTRODUCTION
Introduction A separate worksheet is The estimates from

provided for each of four Worksheets I and II are based on
Purpose separate performance levels a heating thermostat setting of
perfo~ance level and 70°F. The .estimates from
The purpose of the Any Town, associated target. These are Worksheet IV are based on a
USA section is to explain how to deSCribed below: cooling thermostat setting of
use the passive solar Worksheet I: Conservation 78°F with no ceiling fans and
worksheets in the Passive Solar Performance Level: the 82°F with ceiling fans.
Design Strategies: Guidelines for estimated heat energy needed by The worksheets are
Home BUilding. Separate the building each year from both supported by a number of data
Worksheets booklets are the solar and auxiliary heating tables. The data tables are given
available for specific locations systems. The units are a letter deSignation and are
throughout the continental Btu/yr-sf. referenced when applicable next
USA. Each booklet contains Worksheet II: Auxiliary Heat to each worksheet entry.
detailed technical data for a Performance Level: the A description and drawings
specific location. Although the estimated heat that must be of the example building are
example presented in this provided each year by the provided below, followed by
booklet is for a moderate mid- auxiliary heating system. This completed worksheets. Data
Atlantic climate, the procedure worksheet accounts for the solar tables have also been included
is presented in a general savings. The units are when appropriate.
manner and is intended to be . Btu/yr-sf. Each step of the worksheets
used for all locations. Worksheet III: Thermal is then explained in detail.
Mass / Comfort: the temperature
swing expected on aclear winter
General Description day with the auxiliary heating
of Worksheets system not operating. The units \
are OF.
The Worksheets booklet for each
location provides an easy-to-use Worksheet N: Summer Cooling
calculation procedure, allowing Performance Level: the
the designer to estimate the estimated annual cooling load of
performance level of a particular the building. The units are
building design and compare it Btu/yr-sf.
against a base-case performance
level or against the performance
of the builder's more
conventional house.
Anytown, USA
Description of The building has an South facing windows
attached sunspace. The provide direct gain solar heating
Example Building
( ) sunspace floor has a four-inch
thick slab-on-grade with quarry
to the dining area. kitchen and
master bedroom. The south
A 1.504 square foot passive tile set in a mortar bed. The glazing in the kitchen and
solar. single-family home with sunspace is separated from the dining area provides heat to an
an 8.3 ft. average ceiling height conditioned portion of the house exposed slab-on-grade.
is used to illustrate how to use by sliding glass doors and a The east portion of the
the worksheets. A floor plan. masonry fireplace wall. Awning house is slab-on-grade
building elevations. building windows located at the top and construction. The great room
sections and details are shown bottom of the south wall provide and master bedroom suite are
below. outside ventilation for the raised floor construction. The
sunspace. slab-on-grade floor in the
kitchen and dining area is
finished with ceramic tile so that
the floor may function as
thermal mass.
The exterior doors are metal
with a foam core center.
~r--~2~O~'--.....;*~i~ __..!:2=2-'--~r·. . . ·. . ·..............g4.'............:...............

\
Garage
4040
Bedroom
Great Room
Master
;.. Bedroom
.,...
Suns pace
8088 8088
14'
FLOOR PLAN
----
o2 4 8 12
AnytOWD, USA
62 INTRODUCTION
SOUTH ELEVATION
NORTH ELEVATION
'........
----
024 B 12
.........................::::::::::::::J
"r
ABOVE GRADE SECTION
02 4
...... B 12
)
Insulation,.---i''ti"*t:=;::::::l I
. .,
. .... . .. ' : .r'''<:'.:l.-m~'-'-:!
""""!1rf"'_'11IT'nl-.LA .' .' •
§ 1111 § III I;, : .....: . ini~),i~,
§1I11 § 1111 ., ..•• ". 1I11§1Il1t='
•.• ' :." .•• 1I11§1II"
.• : .' ~'. 1111"
", • "II .~. ", 111'
.... . ....
'"
",
-... ... ." . .. . ..
..... .. .•....
.. '
'. -
"
",'.'
,'
'
• ' II' . ' II'
SLAB-ON-GRADE CRAWLSPACE FULL BASEMENT

\
TYPES OF FOUNDATIONS /
Anytown, USA
General pro~ect Information
1504 sf
~:Area

Description Area [Table A] Loss
Q!!iliog~L[QQt~ B-;36 io 8!liQ ]Q64 + ;3f2!:! = ;3Q
B-;3Q io Qrull!!Qml Q!!iliog 42Q + 24f2 = ]I
WiillI~ B-l!:!± B-Z SIl!!iillIliog io BigiQ IO~!JliiI!iQO !:!!:!2 ..,... 24Z = 4Q
B-1!:! io ~iilmg!! 14Q + lZZ 6
IO~!JliiI!!!Q EIQQ[~ B-1!:! io EIQQ[ Qll!![ ~!!ois!Q Q[5nIl1~I2ii1Q!! Z64 + 2f26 = ;3Q
+ =
~Qo-~QliiI[ ~Iiili:iog OQ!Jbl!! !:aliilZ!!Q WQQQ E[iillD!! liZ' iili[ giill2 f22 + 16 2!:!
- L.QY:l-i; (!!:;;- 4Q) +
OQQ[~ M!!!iilllI:li!1l EQiillD QQ[!! 4Q + f2!:! = Z
+ =
1121 Btu/OF-h
Total
B. Foundation Perimeter Heat.Loss
Heat Loss
Factor Heat
Description Perimeter [Table B] Loss
Sliilb~-QO-!:a[iilQ!! B-Z 62 X Q;3Q 2f2
~ H!!iilis!Q BiilS!!ID!!O!S X =
I
Uoll!!ru!!Q Eliil~!!ID!!O!~ X =
E!![iID!!t!![ IO~!Jliilt!!Q Qmll:ll~I2ii1Q!!~ X =
2f2 Btu/oF-h
Total
C. Infiltration Heat Loss

1246;3 X Qf2Q X .018 112 Btu/OF-h
Building Air Changes
Volume per Hour
D. Total Heat Loss per Square Foot

24 X 2~6 + lf2Q4 = 4Z!2 Btu/DD-sf
Total Heat Loss Floor Area
(A+B+C)
H!2 X nQ;3 X Qn = lZQn Btu/yr-sf

Total Heat Heating Degree Heating Degree
Loss per Days [Table C] Day Multiplier
Square Foot [Table C]
F. Comparison Conservation Performance (From Previous Calculation or from Table O)

2f2 ;3!2Q Btu/yr-sf
Com are Line E to Line F
Anytown, USA
64 CONSERVATION PERFORMANCE LEVEL
Worksheet I: Step A. Envelope Heat Loss Ceilings/Roofs

Conservation The first step is to calculate the There are two types of
Performance Level heat loss through the building ceiling/roof construction in t h e )
Worksheet I is essentially a heat envelope. The building envelope example building. R-38 mineral \
loss calculation, similar to the consists of all walls, roofs, insulation is located in an attic
type of calculation made to size floors, non-solar windows and space, and R-30 insulation is
heating and cooling equipment. doors that enclose the located in the framed cathedral
The major difference is that the conditioned space of the house. ceiling. The total R-value is
calculation does not consider Heat loss for each envelope selected from Table Al for each
heat loss through any of the component is calculated by ceiling/ roof component. The
passive solar systems. The dividing the surface area of the values in Table Al account for
following building corriponents component by the total R-value. the buffering effect of the attic
in the example building are not The total envelope heat loss is (when applicable), the ceiling
considered in the calculation: the sum of the heat loss for all material (sheetrock) and the
• Heat loss through direct gain of the envelope components. effect of framing.
solar glazing. Table A in the Worksheets
A 1-Ceilings/Roofs
• Heat loss through walls and booklet contains R-values that
windows that separate the may be used in the calculation.
Attic
Construction R-30 I!1J
Insulation R-value
27.9 35
R-49 R-60
46.9 57.9
house from the sunspace. There are actually five separate Framed Insulation R-value
If the example building had tables labeled AI, A2, A3, A4 Construction R-19 R-22 R-30 R-38
Trombe walls or water walls, and A5. A separate table is 2x6 at 16"oc 14.7 15.8 16.3 -
2x6 at 24'oc
2x8 at 16"oc
15.3 16.5 17.1
17.0 18.9 20.6 21.1
-
heat loss through these passive provided fQr ceilings/roofs, 2x8 at 24"oc 17.6 19.6~ 22.2
solar systems would also be walls, floors, windows and 2x10 at 16"oc 18.1 20.1 24. 25.7
2x10 at 24"oc 18.4 20.7 . 26.8
excluded from the calculation. doors. The R-values' in these 2x12 at 16"oc 18.8 21.0 25.5 30.1
2x12 at 24 'oc 19.0 21.4 27.3 31.4
Heat loss from the passive tables include the thermal
solar energy systems is excluded resistance of both the insulation The area and R-value of the )
since the solar savings fractions and other materials that two different types of
in Worksheet II take these losses typically make up the construction are entered on two
into account. construction assembly such as lines of the table under
exterior sheathing and "ceilings/roofs" and the heat
sheetrock. They also account loss is calculated by dividing the
for framing members that surface area by the total .
penetrate the insulation and R-value. Note that the ceiling
reduce the effectiveness. over the sunspace is not
included in this calculation.
Anytown, USA
Walls The R-value of each wall The total R-value is selected
There are two types of wall type is detennined from Table from Table A3, which considers
'\ construction in the example A2 in the Worksheets booklet. the buffering effect of the
)
building. The typical exterior The R-value of both wall types is crawlspace as well as framing
wall is of 2x6 wood frame 17.7 from the table, but since and the floor materials. The
construction with R-19 mineral the first wall type has R-7 area and R-value is entered on
insulation in the cavity. An insulating sheathing, this is one line of the table and the
insulating sheathing with an R- added to the value from the heat loss is calculated by .
7 rating is attached to the table so that 24.7 is used in the dividing the area by the R-value.
exterior surface of the framing. calculations. These R-values
A3-lnsulated Floors
The wall is finished with 1/2 along with the associated areas
Insulation R·value
inch sheetrock on the inside are entered on two lines of the Framing R-11 R-19 R-30 R-38
2x6s at 16"oc 18.2 23.8 29.9
and a brick veneer on the table and the heat loss is 2x6s at 24"oc 18.4 24.5 31.5
outside.
The second type of wall
calculated by dividing each
surface area by the
2x8s at 16"oc
2x8s at 24"oc
2x10 at 16"oc
2x10 at 24"oc
18.9 4W
18.8 24.9 31.7 36.0
33.1 37.9
19.3 25.8 33.4 38.1
19.3 .1 34.4 39.8
construction separates the corresponding R-value. 2x12 at 16"oc 19.7 26.5 34.7 39.8
2x12 at 24"oc 19.6 26.7 35.5 41.2
house from the garage. This These R·values include the buffering effect of a
A2-Framed Walls
wall is also of 2x6 wood frame ventilated crawlspace or unconditioned basement.
Single Wall Insulation R·value
construction With R-19 in the Framing R-11 R-13 R-19 R-25 Had there been different
2x4 at 16"oc 12.0 13.6 insulation conditions for the
cavity, but it does not have the 2x4 at 24"oc 12.7 13.9 ~ -
insulating sheathing or the 2x6 at 16"oc 14.1 15.4 17. 19.2 raised floor, an additional line of
2x6 at 24"oc 14.3 15.6 . 19.8
brick veneer. Note that the Double the table would be completed for
Wall Total Thickness (inches) each condition.
walls that separate the house Framing 8 10 12 14
from the sunspace are not 25.0 31.3 37.5 43.8 If the example building had
included. ..... The R·value of insulating. sheathing should be
insulated floors over a garage or
\
/ It is necessary to measure added to the values in this table. unheated basement, these
the surface area of each type of components would also be
wall construction. The surface Floors included in this step.
area may be determined by Only the raised floor is As an alternative to
multiplying the length of wall by considered in this step of the insulating between the floor
the average height and heat loss calculation; heat loss joists, the perimeter walls of the
subtracting the area of doors from the slab-on-grade floor is crawlspace could have b~en
and windows. conSidered in Step B. There is insulated and floor insulation
one type of raised floor eliminated. When this
construction in the example technique is used, the perimeter
building. R-19 mineral heat loss method in Step B
insulation is placed between should be used. Step A only
2xlO floor joists at 16 inches on includes floors when insulation
center; the crawlspace beneath is placed in the floor assembly.
is ventilated.
Anytown, USA
Non-solar Glazing Windows in the example These values are entered in

Next, heat loss from the non- building are all double-pane the table and the heat loss is
solar glazing is calculated. Note wood windows with a 1/2 inch calculated by dividing the door
that the passive solar direct gain air space between the panes. areas by the R-value. If the
glazing is not included. Also the The R-value for this window example building had more than
windows that separate the type is 2.1, selected from Table one door type (different
house from the sunspace are A4. R-values), then additional lines
not included. The non-solar window area of the table would be completed.
The rough frame opening of is taken from the building plans.
each window is generally used These values are entered in the Total
for the window area. This is table and the heat loss is The heat loss of all components
because the R-values presented calculated by dividing the of the building envelope is
in Table A4 and most heat loss window area by the window summed at the bottom of the
data presented by window R-value. If the example building table and this completes Step A
manufacturers is for the rough had more than one window type of the worksheet.
frame opening. Using the rough (different R-values), then
frame opening also makes it additional lines of the table
easier to estimate window areas would be completed.
since windows are usually
specified on the plans in terms Doors
of the rough frame dimensions. The doors are the last
component of the envelope to
A4-Windows consider. The example building
Air Gap
1/4 in. 1/2 in. 1/2 in. argon has two exterior doors: the main
Slandar'd Metal Frame
Single .9 entrance and an additional door
Double 1.1 1.2 1.2
Low-e (e<=0:40) 1.2 1.3 1.3 to the garage. These have a
Metal frame with thermal break
Double 1.5 <t.!> 1.7 total surface area of 40 square
Low-e le<=0.40} 1.6 '. I.S feet and an R-value is selected
Low-e e<=0.20} 1.7 2.0
Wood frame with vinyl cladding from Table A5. Note that the
Double 2.0 2.1 2.2
Low-e (e<=0.40l 2.1 2.4 2.5 door that separates the garage
Low-e le<=0.20 2.2 2.6 2.7
Low-e e<=0.10 2.3 2.6 2.9 from the exterior is not included
These R-values are based on a 3 mph wind speed
since the garage is
and are typical for the entire rough framed opening. unconditioned.
Manufacture's data, based on National
Fenestration Rating Council procedures, should be
used when available. One half the R-value of AS-Doors
movable insulation should be added, when Solid wood with 2.2
appropriate. Weatherstripping
Metal with rigid C1i)
foam core
Anytown, USA
Table B-Perimeter Heat Loss Factors
Step B. Foundation for Slabs·on·Grade and Unheated The building volume is
Perimeter Heat Loss . Basements (Btuth·F·ft) calculated by multiplying the
Heated Unheated Insulated
Foundation heat loss from average ceiling height by the
) slabs-on-grade. basements and
Perimeter Siabs-on- Base·
Insulation Grade ments
Base- Crawl·
ments spaces
conditioned floor area. In this
None 0.8 1.3 1.1 1.1
insulated crawispaces is R5 ~ 0.8 0.7 0.6 example the average ceiling
R:7 0.3 0.7 0.6 0.5
estimated by multiplying the R·11 . 0.6 0.5 0.4 height is 8.3 ft. The conditioned
R-19 0.2· 0.4 0.5 0.3
length of perimeter times an R-30 0.1 0.3 0.4 0.2 floor area is 1,504 sf which does
appropriate heat loss factor When a raised floor assembly is not include the garage or the
taken from Table B. not insulated, for instance, over sunspace. The resulting
The dining area, kitchen and crawlspaces insulated at the building volume is 12,483 cubic
secondary bedrooms in the perimeter or basements, heat feet.
example house have slab-on- loss occurs primarily at the The units of infiltration heat
grade construction. R-7 perimeter. loss are Btu;oF-h, the same as
insulation is installed around The example house does not for the building envelope and
the perimeter. have a basement or a heated the foundation perimeter.
The heat loss factor for the crawlspace, but if it did, the
slab edge is 0.3, selected from Step D. Total Heat Loss per
foundation heat loss would be
Table B. The heat loss factor is Square Foot
calculated by multip1ying the
multiplied by the perimeter to The total building heat loss is
perimeter of these elements by a
calculate the heat loss. The the sum of the heat loss for the
heat loss factor selected from
units of heat loss, using the building envelope (Step A), the
Table B.
perimeter method, are the same foundation perimeter (Step B)
When houses have heated
as for the building envelope and infiltration (Step C). For
basements, heat loss from ,
calculated in the previous step. residences this value will range
basement walls located above
Note that sunspace slab is not between 200 and 500. It
grade would be included in
included in this calculation. represents the Btu of heat loss
Step A.
The slab edge perimeter from the building envelope over
adjacent to the crawlspace and Step C. Infiltration Heat Loss the period of an hour when it is
the sunspace is also excluded. The heat loss from infiltration or one OF colder outside than
air leakage is estimated by inside. This total heat loss, of
multiplying the building volume course, does not include heat
times the air changes per hour loss from the solar systems,
times a heat loss factor of 0.018. including direct gain glazing.
The example building is The result of Step D,
estimated to have an infiltration however, is the annual heat loss
rate of 0.50 based on local per degree day per square foot.
building experience. This value is calculated by
mUltiplying the total heat loss
by 24 hours/ day and dividing
by the conditioned floor area.
Anytown, USA
Step E. Conservation The heating degree days are Step F. Comparison

Performance Level selected from Table C 1 and Conservation Performance
Once the total heat loss per based on specific locations. The The conservation performance
square foot is calculated, the heating degree day multiplier is level for the proposed design
conservation perfonnance level selected from Table C2 and is may be compared to the base
may be calculated by based on the total heat loss per case perfonnance level for the
multiplying the total heat loss square foot (Step D) and the area, given in Table D.
per square foot (Step D) by the passive solar glazing area per
Table D-Base Case Conservation
heating degree days times the square foot of floor area Performance (Btu/v. •
heating degree day multiplier. (Worksheet II, Step A). Base Case 25,38
Alternatively, the
C1-Heating Degree Days ~ 65°F) C2-Heating Degree Day Multiplier
Raleigh·Durham ~ Passive Solar conservation perfonnance level
Heat Loss Glazing Area per may be compared to other
This value is from TMY weather tapes and per Square per Square Foot
should be used for Worksheet Calculations. Foot .00 .05 .10 .15 .20 building designs considered by
It will vary from long term averages. 8.00 1.03 1.05 1.07 1.09 1.11
7.50 1.01 1.04 1.06 1.07 1.10 the builder to be typical of the
7.00 0.99 1.02 1.04 1.06 1.08
6.50 0.97 1.00 1.02 1.04 1.06 area. In this case, the
6.00 0.94 0.97 1.00 1.03 1.05 worksheets would first be
~
0.90 0.94 0.98~. 1.03
.00 0.86 0.91 0.95 . 1.01 completed for the typical design
~5 Q~ Q~ Q~ Q9 Q~
. 0 0.77 0.83 0.88 . 2 0.96 and the results of these
3.50 0.72 0.78 0.83 0.88 0.93
calculations would be entered in
The conservation Step F.
perfonnance level for the If the conservation
example building is compared to per.(onnance level of the
the base case conservation proposed building (Step E) is
perfonnance level in the next greater than the base case or
step. typical-design conservation
)
perfonnance level. the designer
should conSider additional
building insulation or reduced
non-solar glass area.
Anytown; USA
Worksheet II: Auxili Heat Performance Level
A. Projected Area of Passive Solar Glazing
/
I. )
Solar System Rough Frame Net Area Adjustment Projected
Reference Code Area Factor Factor [Table E] Area
Q~QI ee X 0.80 X ~e fl~
SSQI 2Qe X 0.80 X ~e jfl~
X 0.80 X
X 0.80 X =
X 0.80 X =
X
X
0.80
0.80
X
X
=
=
2~fl 2~2 sf
Total Area Total
Projected
Area
2~2 -;- jf!Q4 = jf!

Total Floor Total Projected
Projected Area Area per
Area Square Foot

24 X 2~a + 2~2 = ~Q e~
Total Total
Heat Loss Projected
[Worksheet I] Area

) System
/ Solar Savings
Reference Code Area [Table F]
Q~Qj fl~ X 44 ~Q ~fl
SSQl jfl~ X 4f! = Z~~f!
X =
X =
X =
X =
X =
jQ~ Zj + 2~2 Q4f!

Total Total Solar
Projected Savings
Area Fraction
D. Auxiliary Heat Performance Level
[1 - Q4f! jx 1ZQ~Z = ~Q4~ Btu/yr-sf

Solar Conservation
Savings Performance
Fraction Level [Worksheet I,
Step E]
E. Comparative Auxiliary Heat Performance (From Previous Calculation or from Table G)

23 Q99 Btu/yr-sf
Com are Line D to Line E

,
Anytown, USA
70 AUXILIARY HEA T PERFORMANCE LEVEL
Worksheet II: The reference codes are shown

Auxiliary Heat on Tables FI through F4 for
Performance Level various types of solar systems.
Worksheet II is used to estimate More information about the
the savings from passive solar system types is provided in the
systems and to estimate the discussion under Step C of this
auxiliary heat performance level.. worksheet. The reference code
This is the amount of heat that for the direct gain system is
must be provided to the building "DGC 1" because night
each year after the solar savings insulation is not proposed. The
have been accounted for. reference code for the sunspace
The example building has is "ssc 1" since all the sunspace
two solar systems: direct gain glazing is vertical.
south glazing and a sunspace. The south wall of the
South
example building actually faces
Step A. Projected Area of Projection 10° east of south because of site
Passive Solar Glazing Projected Area of Passive Solar Glazing
The solar savings fraction is based on the
conditions. The adjustment
The first step is to calculate the projected area of solar glazing. factor is therefore 0.98 for both
projected area of the solar The worksheet allows the solar systems as selected from
glazing. The proj ected area of user to enter the rough frame Table E. Each solar system area
passive solar glazing is the area area of solar glazing. since it is is multiplied by the net area
projected on a plane facing true generally easier to measure this. factor and the appropriate
south (the actual glazing may be The rough frame area is adj ustment factor to calculate
oriented slightly east or west of multiplied by a net area factor of the projected area. Both the
true south). The projected solar 0.80 to account for window total projected area and the total .
glazing also accounts for sloped framing and mullions. If the net area are summed at the bottom
glazing in certain types of glass area is entered. the net of the table.
sunspaces. area factor is 1.00.
For most solar systems the Table E-ProJected Area
The example building has Adjustment Factors
projected area may be calculated two separate passive solar Degrees off ~solar System Type
True D SSA SSB,
by multiplying the actual glazing systems: direct gain and a South ,S SSD SSE
area times an adjustment factor
taken from Table E.
sunspace. This means that two
lines of the table must be
o
5
10
c$? 1.00
0.98
0.77
0.76
0.75
0.75
0.75
0.74
15 . 0.74 0.73
Alternatively. the projected completed. If the example 20 0.94 0.72 0.70
area may be determined by 25 0.91 0.69 0.68
building had other types of solar 30 0.87 0.66 0.65
making a scaled elevation systems. for instance Trombe The last part of Step A is to
drawing of the building. looking walls or water walls. additional divide the total projected area by
exactly north. Surface areas lines in the table would be the conditioned floor area. giving
may then be measured from the completed. the total projected area per
scaled elevation drawing. This In the first column. the square foot. This value is used
concept is illustrated in the reference code for each type of in Worksheet I. Step E to
figure below. solar system is entered along determine the heating degree
with a description of the system. day multiplier.
,
./
Anytown, USA
Step B. Load Collector Ratio A reference code, for The solar savings fraction for
The load collector ratio is instance "DGC 1", is also each system is multiplied by the
calculated by taking the total provided for each solar system projected area and totaled at the
heat loss from Worksheet I, Step variation. These references are bottom of the table. This total is
D and multiplying this value entered on the worksheet "Solar then divided by the total
times 24 (hours/ day) and System Reference Code". They projected area from Step A to
dividing by the total projected are also a key to additional calculate the weighted average
area of the solar glazing information about each solar solar savings fraction for the
calculated in the previous step. system as provided in Passive whole building.
Solar Heating Analysis and The solar savings fractions
Step C. Solar Savings Fraction other reference manuals. are based on reference designs.
The next step is to calculate the The assumptions made about
solar savings fraction for the F1-Direct Gain
Load DGC3
these reference designs are
DGCI DGC2
building. This is calculated as a Collector Double Low-e R-9 Night summarized below.
Ratio Glazing Glazing Insulation
weighted average of the solar 200 0.10 0.11 0.13
savings fraction for the separate 155 0.13 0.14 0.17 Direct Gain
100 0.18 0.20 0.24
passive solar systems. The 80 0.22 0.25 0.30 The direct gain reference
60 0.28 0.31 0.38
weightings are based on 50 0.32 0.36 0.44 designs are all assumed to have
projected area. 45 0.34 0.39 0.47
40 0.37 0.43 0.51 double-pane glass and sufficient
The solar systems used in
this step should be identical to
those used above in Step A. The
ar 20
15
~ .9
0.55
0.62
0.47
0.52
0.58
0.65
0.74
0.56
0.62
0.69
0.77
0.85
heat storage to limit the clear
day temperature swing to 13°F.
For the case with night
first two columns are simply insulation, the thermal
carried down from the first and F4-Sunspaces resistance is assumed to be R-9.
last columns in· Step A. Load
Collector sunsEace Type
) The solar savings fraction for Ratio SSAI SSBI SCI SSDI SSEI Trombe Walls
200 '0.17 0.14 0.11 0.19 0.15
e9-ch individual system is taken 155 0.20 0.17 0.14 0.23 0.19 The Trombe wall reference
100 0.26 0.22 0.19 0.30 0.26
from Tables F1 through F4 80 0.30 0.25 0.23 0.35 0.30 designs are all assumed to have
based on the load collector ratio 60 0.35 0.30 0.28 0.42 0.36 double-pane glass. The mass
50 0.39 0.34 0.32 0.46 0.40
calculated in Step B and the 45 0.42 0.36 0.35 0.49 0.43 wall is assumed to be 12 inches
40 0.44 0.39 0.38 0.52 0.46
type of solar system. Table F1 is 0.49 thick and constructed of
~ ~
0.48 0.42 0.56
0.52 0.46 0.60 0.54
for direct gain systems, Table F2 0.56 0.50 .0 0.65 0.59 masonry or concrete.
for thermal storage walls, Table 20 0.62 0.56 0.57 0.72 0.65
15 0.70 0.64 0.65 0.79 0.73
F3 for water walls and Table F4 Water Walls
for sunspaces. There are The water wall reference designs
multiple columns in each table are all assumed to have double-
that account for system design pane glass. The water tank is
features such as night assumed to be nine inches
insulation or selective surfaces. thick, extending continuously in
front of the glazing surface. The
space between the water tank
and the glazing is assumed to be
sealed.
Anytown l USA
72 AUXILIARY HEA T PERFORMANCE LEVEL
Sunspaces Step D. Auxiliary Heat

Data is provided for five Performance Level
sunspace reference designs as The auxiliary heat performance
illustrated on the following level is calculated by multiplying
figure. Double glazing is the conservation performance
assumed for all reference level from Worksheet I, Step E,
designs. Reference designs times one minus the solar
SSAl, SSB 1 and SSD 1 are savings fraction, calculated in
assumed to have opaque end the previous step. This value
walls. All are assumed to have a represents the amount of heat
concrete or masonry floor about that must be provided to the
six inches thick and a masonry building by the auxiliary heating
or concrete common wall system(s).
separating the sunspace from
the living areas of the house. Step E. Comparative Auxiliary
The glazing for designs SSAI Heat Performance
and SSD 1 is assumed to be The calculated auxiliary heat
sloped at an angle of 50° from performance level may be
the horizon. The sloped glazing compared to the performance
in designs B and E is assumed level for a typical basecase
to be at an angle of 30°. building in the area. This may
be taken from Table G and is
23,099 Btu/yr-sf.
\)
I
Alternatively, the
performance level may be
compared to a previous
worksheet calculation made for
a typical builder house.
If the auxiliary heat
performance level calculated in
Step D were larger than the base
case auxiliary heat performance,
the designer should conSider
increasing the size of the solar
Sunspace Reference Designs systems, adding additional solar
Data is provided for five types of sunspaces. systems or increasing insulation
levels.
\
/
Anytown, USA
Worksheet III: Thermal Mass/Comfort
(
'\
\ A. Heat Capacity of Sheetrock and Interior Furnishings
) Unit Total
Heat Heat
BQQIDl! lIlli!b Qi[~Q! !:aiilie 424 X 4.7 2H~1
QRiilQ~l! QQee~Q!~g !Q Qi~Q! !:aiilie QRiilQ~l! ~4~ X 4.5 = 42Z1
2452 Btu/OF
Total
Unit Heat
Mass Description capaci~ Total Heat
(include thickness) Area [Table ] Capacity
nQIDb~ WslIIl! X 8.8
, wm~[Wiillll! X 10.4 =
E~RQl!~g Qliilb ie Que lQa X 13.4 = laaQ
E~RQl!~g Qliilb IlIQ! ie Que laZ X 1.8 = 24Z
X =
X =
X =
122Z Btu/OF
Total
Unit Heat
Mass Description Capacity Total Heat
(include thickness) Area [Table H] Capacity
I[QIDb~ WslIIl! X 3.8
W~[WiillIl!
. X 4.2 =
) EiilQ~ 6[iQis 4" III X 3,Z = 4ll
X =
X =
4ll Btu/OF
Total
D. Total Heat Capacity

a4~Q Btu/OF
(A+B+C)
E. Total Heat Capacity per Square Foot

a4~Q + 15Q4 = 52 Btu/OF-sf
Total Heat Conditioned
Capacity Floor Area

Total Comfort
Projected Area Factor
[Worksheet II] [Table I]
Qi~Q! !:aiilie 2~ X a22 = 5~Z54
Quel!RiilQ~l! Q[ 12a X 2~~ = 4a zaz
~e!~g nQIDb~ WslIIl! lQa 4~1 + a4~Q = 12 a OF
Total Total
Heat
Capacity
G. Recommended Maximum Temperature Swing
13 OF
) Com are Line F to Line G
Anytown, USA
74 COMFORT PERFORMANCE LEVEL
Worksheet III: Step A. Heat Capacity of In the example building, the

Thermal Sheetrock and Interior master bedroom, dining area
Mass/Comfort Furnishings and kitchen are all direct gain
This worksheet is used to The first step is to estimate the space.s. The secondary
calculate the thermal effective heat capacity bedrooms, bathrooms and
mass/comfort performance level, associated with low-mass master bedroom closet are
which is the temperature swing construction and interior directly connected to the direct
expected on a clear winter day furnishings. To complete this gain spaces. The utility room
with the auxiliary heating step it is necessary that two and entry foyer are not
system not operating. A high sub-areas be identified within conSidered in this calculation
temperature swing would the building: those areas that since they are not connected to
indicate that inadequate thermal receive direct solar gains and a direct gain space. These areas
mass is provided in the building those areas that are connected are illustrated for the example
design, which not only creates to rooms that receive direct solar building.
discomfort but decreases solar gains. This is because the mass The direct gain space is
heating performance. of sheetrock and furnishings multiplied by 4.7 and the spaces
The general procedure of the located in direct gain rooms is connected to direct gain spaces
worksheet is to calculate the more effective. Rooms that are are multiplied by 4.5. These
effective heat capacity of mass separated from direct gain products are summed and
elements located within the spaces by more than one door represent the effective heat
conditioned space of the should not be included in either capacity associated with the
building. The total effective heat category. sheetrock and interior
capacity is then combined with furnishings.
the direct gain projected area to
estimate the clear winter day
temperature swing. Note that )
thermal mass elements located
within unconditioned spaces
such as the sunspace are not
included in this calculation.
1i)))1 Direct Gain Spaces

Unconditioned
Garage I,l@ililm Spaces Connected to Direct Gain Spaces
moo Spaces Not Connected to Direct Gain Spaces
Suns pace
Building Sub-areas for Calculating Effective Heat Capacity

Worksheet 11/ requires that the building be divided into sub-areas.
Anytown, USA
Step B. Heat Capacity of Mass Exposed slabs-on-grade Step C. Heat Capacity of Mass
Surfaces Enclosing include those with a surface of Surfaces Enclosing Spaces
() Direct Gain Spaces
The heat capacity of thermal
vinyl tile. ceramic tile or other
materials that are highly
Connected to Direct Gain
Spaces
mass elements (other than conductive. Slabs that are The same type of calculation is
sheetrock and furnishings) that covered with carpet should not performed for mass surfaces
enclose the direct gain spaces is be considered to be exposed. that enclose spaces connected
conSidered in this step. The The exposed slab area should be to direct gain spaces. The
surface area of each element is further reduced. when primary difference is the unit
measured from the building appropriate. to account for heat capacity figures taken from
plans and multiplied by the unit throw rugs and furnishings. Table H2 instead of Table H 1.
heat capacity. The unit heat The exposed slab area is In the example building. the
capacity is printed directly in then subdivided into two areas: fireplace wall and hearth are
the table for Trombe walls. water that which is expected to be in considered in this category.
walls. and exposed slabs-on- the sun and that which is not. This area and the unit heat
grade. The unit heat capacity As a rule-of-thumb. slab area capacity is entered in the table
for other mass elements is should be considered in the sun and multiplied by each other.
selected from Table H 1. Note only when it is located directly This represents the total
that thermal mass located in the behind south glazing. In any effective heat capacity of mass
sunspace is not included in this event. the slab area assumed to elements that enclose the
calculation. be in the sun should not exceed spaces connected to direct gain
1.5 times the south glass area. spaces.
H1-Mass Surfaces Enclosing
Direct Gain Spaces . In the example building. the
H2-Rooms with no Direct Solar Gain
Thickness (inches) slabs-on-grade located in the Thickness (inches)
Material 1 2 3' 4 6 8 12
Poured Conc. 1.8 4.3 6.7 8.8 11.311.5 10.3 kitchen and dining room are Material 1 2 ~ 4 6 8 12
) Conc. Masonry 1.8 4.2 6.5 8.4 10.210.0 9.0
Face Brick 2.0 4.7 7.1 9.0 10.49.9 9.0
located within direct gain Poured Conc. 1.7 3.0 3.6 3.8 3.7 3.6 3.4
Conc. Masonry 1.6 2.9 3.5 ~.6 3.4 3.2
Flag Stone 2.1 4.8 7.1 8.5 8.6 8.0 7.6 spaces. Some of this area is Face Brick 1.8 3.1 3.6 3.7 .5 3.4 3.2
Builder Brick 1.5 3.7 5.4 6.5 6.6 6.0 5.8 Fla~Stone 1.9 3.1 3.4 . 3.2 3.1 3.0
Adobe 1.3 3.2 4.8 5.5 5.4 4.9 4.8 considered to De in the sun and Builder Brick 1.4 2.6 3.0 3.1 2.9 2.7 2.7
Hardwood 0.4 1.4 1.8 1.7 1.5 1.5 1.5 Adobe 1.2 2.4 2.8 2.8 2.6 2.4 2.4
Water 5.2 10.415.6 20.8 31.241.6 62.4 the remainder not. These Hardwood 0.5 1.1 1.3 1.2 1.1 1.0 1.1
surface areas are entered in the
table and multiplied by the
appropriate unit heat capacity.
The products are then summed
at the bottom of the table.
Anytown, USA
76 COMFORT PERFORMANCE LEVEL
Step D. Total Heat Capacity Step F. Clear Winter Day Step G. Recommended
The total heat capacity is the Temperature Swing Maximum Temperature Swing
sum of the heat capacity from The clear winter day The comfort performance target ' \
Steps A, B and C. This temperature swing is calculated for all locations is 13°F. If the )
represents the effective heat in Step F. The projected area of comfort performance level
capacity of all thermal mass all direct gain glazing is entered calculated in Step F had been
within the building. in the first row. This includes greater than 13°F, additional
all direct gain systems either thermal mass should be added
Step E. Total Heat Capacity with or without night insulation. to the building or direct gain
per Square Foot In the second row, the projected glazing should be reduced.
The total heat capacity area of sunspace glazing and
calculated in Step D is divided Trombe walls vented to the
by the total floor area of the indoors is entered. Unvented
building to get the total heat Trombe walls and water walls
capacity per square foot. The are not included in this
floor area used in this calculation since solar gain from
calculation should not include these systems does not
the sunspace or other contribute to the temperature
unconditioned spaces. This swing of the conditioned space.
value is calculated here for The appropriate comfort
convenience, but it is not used factor is entered in the second
until Worksheet IV is completed. column, selected from Table I.
,(he projected areas are
multiplied by the appropriate
comfort factors and summed.
This sum is then divided by the '!\
total heat capacity from Step D
to yield the clear winter day
temperature Swing.
Table I-Comfort Fact~rBtu/sf)

Direct Gain
Suns paces and 99
Vented Trombe Walls
Anytown, USA
Worksheet IV: Summer Coolin Performance Level
A. Opaque Surfaces
'\ Radiant Barrier Absorp- Heat Gain
j Heat Loss Factor tance Factor
Description [Worksheet I] [Table J] [Table K] [table L] Load
Q!2i1iDg:!lrQQf:! ~Q X j QQ X Q!lZ X !lZQ = !2!2~

lZ X j QQ X Q!I:Z X !lZQ = ~Z!2
X X X =
W§II:! !lQ X na QZQ X 2!2~ = Z~!2
X na X =
OQQ[:! ~fi X na Q~Q X 2!2~ = 2a
jaQ~ kBtu/yr
Total
Description Area Factor [Table M] Factor [Table L] Load
t!/Q[tb !:al~:!:! !lQ X 0.80 X Q!2Z X ~ZQ = ~~fi

X 0.80 X X =
ESI:!t !:a lSi:!:! !2 X 0.80 X QaQ X !2a ~ = ~~j
X 0.80 X X =
W!2:!t!:aI~:!:! !2 X 0.80 X QaQ X Z~2 = ~fij
X 0.80 X X =
Slsllligbt:! X 0.80 X X =
X 0.80 X X =
j!2ZZ kBtu/yr
Total
C. Solar Glazing
Solar System Rough Frame Net Area Shade Factor Heat Gain
\ Description Area Factor [Table M] Factor [Table L] Load
)
Oi[!2Qt !:a~iD aa X 0.80 X Qa~ X fifiQ = ~2g
X 0.80 X X =
StQ[~g!2 llll~lI~ X 0.80 X X
X 0.80 X X =
S!.ID:!J2~Q!2 2Qa X 0.80 X Qa~ X j22 = j!2afi
X 0.80 X X =
!la~~ kBtu/yr
Total
D. Internal Gain
22fiQ +( ~!lQ X ~ = fiQZQ kBtu/yr
Constant Variable Number of
[Table N] [Table N]
E. Cooling Load per Square Foot
1,000 X j~ !I!I~ + jfiQ!I a~!l2 Btu/yr-sf
F. Adjustment for Thermal Mass and Ventilation
No night vent with no ceiling fan Z~!2 Btu/yr-sf
[Table 0]
G. Cooling Performance Level
a2Q!2 Btu/yr-sf
(E -F)
H. Comparison Cooling Performance (From Previous Calculation or from Table P)
9Z!2!2 Btu/yr-sf
Com are Line G to Line H
Anytown, USA
78 SUMMER COOLING PERFORMANCE LEVEL
Worksheet IV: Table J-Radiant Barrier Factors

Radiant Barrier
The heat loss from each of
Summer Cooling No Radiant Barrier .0 these elements is carried over
Performance Level from Worksheet I. Note that the
Worksheet IV is used to Table K-Solar Absorptances door heat loss is reduced by half .
Color Absorptance
calculate the summer cooling Gloss White
since one of the two doors does
performance level. This is the
heat that would need to be
removed from the bUilding by an
Semi-gloss White
Light Green
Kelly Green
Medium Blue
Medium Yellow
I 0.51
0.57
not receive sunlight. The
proposed building does not have
a radiant barrier in the attic, so
air conditioner in order to Medium Orange 0.5B the radiant barrier factor is 1.00.
Medium Green 0.59
maintain comfort during the Light Buff Brick 0.60 Absorptances are selected based
Bare Concrete
summer.
The worksheet accounts for
Red Brick
Medium Red
Medium Brown
~ 0.B4
on the exterior building colors
and the heat gain factors are
four sources of cooling load: Dark Blue-Grey O.BB from Table L.
Dark Brown O.BB
opaque surfaces exposed to the
sun, non-solar windows, passive Step B. Non-solar Glazing
solar systems, and internal gain. Ceiling/roofs Cooling load associated with the
Walls and Doors
These loads are then adjusted to North Glass windows that do not face south,
East Glass
account for ventilation and West Glass i.e. those that are not part of one
Skylights of the solar systems, is
thermal mass .. Direct Gain Glazing
Trombe Walls and calculated by multiplying the
Water Walls
Step A. Opaque Surfaces Sunspaces surface area in each orientation
SSAl 39.3
Not all opaque surfaces times the net area factor, a
.~
SSBl
contribute to the cooling load of SSCl shade factor (from Table M) and
SSDl
the building: only those surfaces SSEl 39.3 a heat gain factor (from Table L).
exposed to sunlight In the example building, four This calculation gives the
(ceilings/roofs and walls) are lines of the table are completed, annual cooling load for each )
included in the calculation. For two for the ceiling/roof types, non-solar glazed surface. The
each ceiling and wall surface one for the exterior walls with total for the building is the sum
listed on Worksheet I and brick veneer and one for the of the cooling load for each
exposed to the sun, the heat entrance door. The wall that surface.
loss should be carried over to separates the house from the
Table M-Shading Factors
this worksheet along with a garage and the door in this wall Projection
21
~9'
consistent description. This are not included, since they are Factor South st North
0.00 ~ . 1.00 .
heat loss is then multiplied by a not exposed to sunlight. 0.20 . .93 ~ .93 . 4I1o,~
0.40 . 3 0.B1 1 O.Bl • c;1JC7
radiant barrier factor when 0.60 0.49 0.71 0.7 '67 0.6B
O.BO 0.35 0.60 0.6f 0.56
appropriate (from Table J), the 1.00 0.30 0.50 0.54 0.45
absorptance (from Table K) and 1.20 0.24 0.40 0.46 0.3B
a heat gain factor (from Table L). -... Multiply by O.B for low-e glass, 0.7 for tinted glass
and 0.6 for low-e tinted Qlass.
The end product of this
The rough frame area is
calculation is an estimate of the
generally entered in the table
annual cooling load that is
and adjusted by the net area
associated with each suIface in
factor. If the net glazing area is
thousands of Btu per year
entered instead, then the net
(kBtu/yr).
area factor is 1.00.
Anytown, USA
Table M gives the shade If the example building had Step C. Solar Glazing
factor for overhangs. The tinted glazing. glazing films or The solar systems addressed on
overhang shade factor depends external shading devices. the Worksheet II reduce heating
on the orientation of the window shade factors from Table M energy. but they also can
and the projection factor. The should not be used. Sunscreen increase cooling energy. The
proj ection factor is the overhang and glass manufacturers cooling energy impact of the
projection divided by the usually rate the shading effect of solar systems is calculated in
distance from the bottom of the their devices by publishing a this step. Each solar system
window to the bottom of the shading coefficient. The listed on Worksheet II should be
overhang. as illustrated below. shading coefficient is a number carried over to this worksheet.
between zero and one that The cooling energy for each
A indicates how much solar heat system is calculated by
makes it through the window multiplying the total surface
compared to an unshaded 1/8 area (not the projected area)
inch clear pane. This shading times the net area factor. the
coefficient may be used in the appropriate shade factor (as
calculation instead of the value discussed above) and a heat
from Table M. gain factor (from Table L). This
The overhang on the east calculation gives the annual
and west is at the eave. well cooling load for each passive
above the window. and does not solar system.
Overhang Projection Factor provide any useful shading. For A shade factor of 0.83 is
The projection factor is the overhang
projection divided by the distance between the
these windows. the shade factor used because of south
bottom of the window and the bottom of the is 1.00. overhangs. This is based on a
overhang. Each glazing area is projection factor of about 0.2 as
\ The north windows have a multiplied by the net area factor discussed above.
height of four feet and the and the appropriate shade The annual cooling load
bottom of the overhang is about factor. The products are associated with all the passive
six inches above the window summed at the bottom of the solar systems is summed at the
head. The overhang projection table. bottom of the table.
is 1.5 feet. The projection factor
is calculated by dividing the
overhang projection by the
distance from the bottom of the
window to the bottom of the
overhang. This is about 0.33. A
shade factor of 0.84 is used in
the calculations. which is
interpolated between the values
for a projection factor of 0.2 and
0.4
Anytown, USA
80 SUMMER COOLING PERFORMANCE LEVEL
Step D. Internal Gains Step F. Adjustment for Step G. Cooling

The last component of cooling Thermal Mass and Ventilation Performance Level
load is from internal gain. The total cooling load calculated The summer cooling \
Internal gain is heat given off by in Step E is adjusted in this step performance level is calculated' )
lights, appliances and people. to account for the effects of by subtracting the adjustment
Some of the cooling load thermal mass and ventilation. in Step F from the cooling load
associated with internal gain is The adjustment depends on per square foot calculated in
considered to be constant for all the total heat capacity per Step E. This is an estimate of
houses regardless of the number square foot calculated on the amount of heat that must be
of bedrooms or size. This is Worksheet III, Step E, but also removed from the building each
because all houses have a depends on whether or not the year by the air conditioner.
refrigerator and at least one building has night ventilation or
occupant. Another component ceiling fans. The adjustment is Step H. Comparison Cooling
of cooling load from internal entered in the blank in Step F. Performance
gain is considered to be variable The cooling performance level
Table 0-Thermal Mass and Ventilation for the proposed design may be
and depends on the number of Adjustment (Btu/yr-sf)
bedrooms. These components Total Heat Night Night No Night No Night compared to the base case
Capacity Vent wI Vent wI No Vent wI Vent wI N
are accounted for separately in per SF Ceil. Fan Ceil. Fan Ceil. Fan Ceil. Fan cooling performance level for the
0.0 4,250 400 2,320 -1,600
the calculation. 1.0 5,550 1,480 3,620 -520 area, given in Table P.
2.0 6,240 2,080 4,310 080
Both the constant 3.0 6,610 2,420 4,680 410
component and the variable 6,800 2,600 4,8 600
component are taken from Table

N. The variable component is
dP .
6.0
.
8.0
9.0
6,910
6,960
6,990
7,010
7,010
2,700
2,760
2,790
2,810
2,820
,0
5,0
, 60
5,080
5,080
700
760
790
810
820
Alternatively, the cooling
performance level may be
multiplied by the number of 10.0 7,020 2,820 5,090 820
bedrooms in the house and compared to other building
Total heat capacity per square foot is calculated on
added to the constant Worksheet III Ste E. designs conSidered by the )
component to yield the total The example building has a builder to be typical of the area.
cooling load from internal gain. total heat capacity per square In this case, the worksheets
foot of 5.6. It has neither night would first be completed for the
ventilation nor ceiling fans. typical design and the results of
Constant Component
Variable Component Night ventilation is a these calculations would be
building operation strategy entered in Step H.
Step E. Cooling Load per where windows are opened at If the cooling performance
Square Foot night when the air is cooler. level of the proposed building
This step sums the cooling load The cool night air allows heat to (Step G) is greater than the base
associated with opaque escape from the thermal mass case or typical-design
surfaces, non-solar glazing, elements in the building. The conservation performance level,
passive solar systems and cooler thermal mass elements the designer should conSider
internal gain (Steps A, B, C and help keep the building measures to reduce the cooling
D). The sum is then divided by comfortable the following day performance leveL Such
the floor area of the building when air temperatures rise. measures might include
and multiplied by 1,000 to reducing non-solar glass,
convert the cooling energy into providing additional shading or
terms consistent with the base increasing thermal mass.
case cooling performance.
Anytown, USA
Passive Solar
Design Strategies
APPENDIX

With Support From:
Glossary Passive Solar: a whole building design Suntempering: an increase of south-
and construction techniques which help facing glass to about 7 percent of a total
a building make use of solar energy by floor area. without additional thermal
non-mechanical means. as opposed to mass beyond the "free" mass already in a
AuziHary Heating System: a term for
active solar techniques which use typical house -- gypsum wall board.
the system (gas. electric. oil. etc.) which
equipment such as roof-top collectors. framing. conventional furnishings and
provides the non-solar portion of the
floor coverings.
house's heating energy needs. referred to
Phase-Change Materials: materials
as the "auxilruy heat."
such as salts or waxes which store and Temperature Swing: a measure of the
release energy by changing "phase". Most number of degrees the temperature in a
British Thermal Unit (Btu): a unit used
store energy when they tum liqUid at a space will vruy during the course of a
to measure heat. One Btu is about equal
certain temperature and release energy sunny winter day without the furnace
to the heat released from burning one
when they tum solid at a certain operating; an indicator of the amount of
kitchen match.
temperature: some remain solid but thermal mass in the passive solar
undergo chemical changes which store system.
Conservation: in addition to energy
and release energy. Phase change
conservatfon in the general sense. the
materials can be used as thermal mass. Thermal Mass: material that stores
term is used to refer to the non-solar.
but few products are commercially energy. although mass will also retain
energy-saving measures in a house
available at this time .. coolness. The thermal storage capacity
which are primarily involved with
of a material is a measure of the
improving the building envelope to guard
Purchased Energy: although the terms material's ability to absorb and store
against heat loss -- the insulation. and
are often used interchangably. a house's heat. Thermal mass in passive solar
air infiltration reduction measures.
"purchased energy" is geneIa11y greater buildings is usually dense material such
than its "auxilruy heat" because heating as brick or concrete masonry. but can
Direct Gain: a passive solar energy
systems are seldom 100% effiCient. and also be tile. water. phase change
system in which the sunlight falls
directly into the space where it is stored more energy is purchased than is materials. etc.
actually delivered to the house.
and used.
Thermal Storage WaH: a passive solar
a-Value: a unit that measures the energy system also sometimes called
Glazing: often used interchangeably with
resistance to heat flow through a given Trombe Wall or indirect gain system; a
window or glass. the term actually refers
to specifically just to the clear material material. The higher the R-value. the south-facing glazed wall. usually made of
which admits sunlight, and so can also better insulating capability the material masonry but can also be made of
be plastic. Double and triple glazing has. The R-value is the reciprocal of the containers of water.
U-factor.
refer to two or three panes.
Trambe Wall: a thermal storage wall.
Radiant Barrier: reflective material used referred to by the name of its inventor.
Indirect Gain: a passive solar system in
in hot climates to block radiant heat. Dr. Felix Trombe.
which the sunlight falls onto thermal
particularly in a house's roof.
mass which is positioned between the
glazing and the space to be heated. i.e. a U-Factor: a unit representing the heat
Shading Coefficient: a measure of how loss per square foot of surface area per
Thermal Storage Wall or Trombe Wall.
much solar heat will be transmitted by a degree OF of temperature difference (see
glazing material. as compared to a single R-value above).
Low-Emissivity: the term refers to a
surface's ability to absorb and re-radiate pane of clear uncoated glass. which has
heat. A material with a low emissivity a shading coefficient (SC) of 1. For
absorbs and re-radiates relatively small example. clear double-pane glass might
amounts of heat. Low-emissivity or "low- have an SC in the range of .88.
Reflective glass might have SC's of .03-
e" glass sandwiches a thin layer of
.06. In general. lower shading
metallic film or coating between two
coefficients are desirable when heat gain
panes of glass. The low-e glass blocks
radiant heat. so it will tend to keep heat is a problem.
energy inside the house during the
Sunspace: passive solar energy system
winter. and keep heat energy outside the
sometimes also referred to as an isolated
house during the summer.
gain system, where sunlight is collected
and stored in a space separate from the
living space. and must be transferred
there either by natural convection or by
fans.
82 APPENDIX
References e. Glazings: The Design Considerations Insulation

Aren't As Clear As Glass
f. Ideas for Passive Solar Remodeling 10. NAHB Insulation Manual, National
g. Passive Homes in the Marketplace Association of Home Builders. National
General (Class C Studies) Research Center. Available from NAHB
h. Daylighting in Commercial Bookstore, 15th and M Streets N.W.,
1. A Sunbuilder's Primer, National Buildings Washington, D.C. 20005. (202) 822-
Renewable Energy Laboratory. i. Human Comfort and Passive Solar 0200:
Design
2. Passive: It's a Natural, National j. Passive Design for Commercial 11. Uschkoff, James K. 11te Airtight
Renewable Energy Laboratory. Buildings House: Using the Airtight Drywall
k. Passive Solar. Principles and Approach. Iowa State University
3. 11te Passive Solar Construction Products Research Foundation. Available for
Handbook. Steven Winter 1. Increasing Design Flexibility $14.95; Attn: Sarah Terrones, EES
Associates/Northeast Solar Energy m. Utilities and Passive: Predicting the Building, Iowa State UniverSity. Ames,
Center/National Concrete Masonry Pay-off IA 50011
Association/Portland Cement
Association/Brick Institute of America. 12. Spears, John. Radon Reduction in
Available for $29.95 plus $3.00 New Construction. Interim Guide,
handling, from Steven Winter Associates, National Association of Home Builders,
Attn: Publications, 6100 Empire State Environmental Protection Agency OPA
Building, New York, N.Y. 10001 87-009, , August 1987. Available from
the EPA or the NAHB Bookstore, 15th
4. Suntempering in the Northeast, Steven and M Streets N.W.• Washington. D.C.
Winter Associates. Available from them 20005. (202) 822-0200.
at the address above for $9.50.
5. Passive Solar Design Handbook, AppUances

Volume I. II, III. Available from National
Technical Information Service. U.S. Dept. 13. Saving Energy and Money with Home
of Commerce, 5285 Port Royal Road, Appliances. Environmental Science
Springfield, Va, 22161, $32.00 each for I Department. Massachusetts Audobon
and II, $12.00 for III. Society/American Council for an Energy
Efficient Economy. Available for $2.00
apiece from ACEE. 1001 Connecticut
6. Balcomb, J.D .• et al. Passive Solar
Ave. N.W.• Suite 535. Washington D.C.
Heating Analysis. This volume
20036
supercedes and expands Volume III of
the Passive Solar Design Handbook (Ref.
14. The Most Energy E§lCientAppliances.
5). Available from ASHRAE,
1988 Edition. ACEEE. $2.00 apiece at
Publications. 1791 Tullie Circle NE.
address above.
Atlanta. Ga, 30329. $30.00 for ASHRAE
members. $60.00 for non-members.
7. living With the Sun (for consumers)

and BuUding With the Sun (for builders),
PPG Industries.
8. 11te Passive Solar lriformation Guide,

PSIC.
9. Passive Solar Trends. Technical briefs

fromPSIC.
a. Infiltration in Passive Solar
Construction
b. The State of the Art in Passive Solar
Construction
c. Passive Solar in Factory-Built
Housing
d. Radiant Barriers: Top Performers in
Hot Climates
JacksoD, Mississippi
Site Planning Sunspaces
15. Builder's Guide to Passive Solar 17. Jones, Robert W. and Robert D.
Home Design and Land Development, McFarland. The Sunspace Primer. A
National Fenestration Council. Available Guide for Passive Solar Heating, available
for $12.00 from NFC, 3310 Harrison, for $32.50 from Van Nostrand Reinhold,
White Lakes Professional Building, 115 5th Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10003
Topeka, KS. 66611
18. Greenlwusesfor Uving, from Steven
16. Site PlanningJor Solar Access, U.S. Winter Associates, Attn: Publications,
Department of Housing and Urban 6100 Empire State Building, New York,
Development/American Planning N.Y. WOOl, $6.95.
Association. Available for $6.50 from
Superintendent of Documents, U.S. 19. ConceptN, from Andersen
Government Printing Office, Washington Corporation, Bayport, MN. 55003, $6.95.
D.C. 20402
20. Passive Solar Greenhouse Design and
Construction. Ohio Department of
Energy/John Spears, 8821 Silver Spring,
Md., 20910.
JackBon, MiBBiBBippi
86 SUMMARY FOR JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI
'~.
" jo' .. <
"J
Jacksoo, Mississippi
Technical Basis for Los Alamos National Laboratory with and heat losses through the solar
funding from the U.S. Department of aperture and, thus. correct for omitting
the Builder Energy Solar Buildings Program. See the the solar components from the
references for more information. calculation of annual heat loss.
Guidelines
1. J. Douglas Balcomb. Robert W. Jones,
Annual Heat Loss Robert D. McFarland. and William O.
How the Builder (Worksheet I) Wray, "Expanding the SIR MethDd",
Passive Solar Journal. Vol. 1, No.2,
Guidelines Were The heat-loss calculation is based on a 1982, pp. 67-90. Available from the
Produced straightforward summation of the American Solar Energy Society. 2400
traditional elements that make up the Central Ave. Unit B-1, Boulder. CO
The text of the Builder Guidelines book building heat-loss coefficient (excluding 80301.
is generated by merging two computer the solar components). The worksheet
meso The first is a word-processor file procedure estimates the annual heat loss 2. J. Douglas Balcomb, Robert W. Jones,
containing the text; it does not change by multiplying the heat-loss coefficient Robert D. McFarland. and William O.
from location to location. The second by annual degree days (times 24 to Wray. Passive Solar Heating Analysis,
contains numbers and text and is convert from days to hours). Degree days American Society of Heating.
location dependent. This second file is for each month were determined using Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning
produced by running a computer an appropriate base temperature that Engineers, 1984. Available from
program that calculates performance accounts for an assumed thermostat ASHRAE, 1719 Tullie Circle. NE, Atlanta,
numbers based on long-term monthly setting of 70 degrees. an assumed GA 30329.
weather and solar data compiled by the internal heat generation of 36 Btu/day
National Oceanic and AtmospheriC per sq ft of floor area. and the total 3. J. Douglas Balcomb and William O.
Administration for a particular location. building loss coefficient. This forms the Wray, Passive Solar Heating Analysis,
The merge operation slots the numbers basis of the table of heating degree day SupplemeDt ODe, Thermal Mass
and text in the second file into their multipliers. The result of the worksheet Effects aDd Additional SLK
correct locations in the first me. This is is an estimate of the annual heat CorrelatioDs, American Society of
then laser printed to produce the required to maintain comfort. excluding Heating. Refrigerating. and Air-
camera-ready manuscript. both positive and negative effects Conditioning Engineers, 1987. See
resulting from the solar components. In ASHRAE address above.
this estimate. no solar heating credit is
More than a Decade of given to east, west. and north windows,
Experience because it is assumed that these will be Temperature Swing
protected by vegetation or other shading (Worksheet III)
The concentrated effort of research, in accordance with the Builder Guideline
design. construction. monitoring. and recommendations. This is a conservative The temperature swing estimate on
evaluation of actual buildings that assumption because there will always be worksheet III is based on the diurnal
started at the First Passive Solar some solar gain through these windows. heat capacity (dhc) method (reference 3).
Conference in Albuquerque in 1976 has The method is an analytic procedure in
continued up to the present. It is which the total heat stored in the
estimated that more than 200.000 Annual Auxiliary Heat building during one day is estimated by
passive solar homes have been built in (Worksheet II) summing the effective heat storage
the United States during this time. This potential of the all the various materials
wealth of experience has been reviewed The tables of passive solar savings in the building for a 24-hour periodic
by NREL, the Technical Committee of fractions are calculated using the solar cycle of solar input. Rooms with direct
PSIC, and by the Standing Committee on load ratio (SLR) method (references 1 and gain are assumed to have radiative
Energy of the National Association of 2). Monthly solar savings fraction (SS1'1 coupling of the solar heat to the mass.
Home Builders and is distilled into these values are determined using correlation Rooms connected to rooms with direct
Guidelines. fits to the results of hourly computer gain are assumed to have convective
simulation calculations for a variety of coupling, which is rather les!;! effective,
climates. These 12 values are converted especially for massive elements. The dhc
Analysis Procedures into an annual value and entered into of the sheetrock, framing, and furniture
worksheet Tables FI-F4. The SLR is approximated as 4.5 or 4.7 Btuf"F per
The analysis procedures used method gives answers that agree within
throughout the GUidelines were sq ft of floor area. Worksheet Tables H 1
about 5% of the hourly computer and H2 list the increased value of
developed using simple. well-established
simulations and within 11% of the diurnal heat capacity for various
methods for estimating the performance
measured passive solar performance of conventional materials that are often
of passive solar heating and natural 55 bUildings monitored under the Solar
cooling strategies. These procedures used to provide extra heat storage,
Buildings Program. The SSF estimates assuming these materials replace
(described below) were developed at the account properly for both solar gains sheetrock.
JackSOD, Mississippi
88 APPENDIX
The only numbers in worksheet III underestimates very large cooling loads worksheet can be used anywhere within
that are location dependent are the in poorly designed buildings. 4 degrees of latitude of the parent
comfort factors, taken from Table I. The The adjustment factors for location.
direct-gain comfort factor is 61% of the ventilation properly account for The cooling estimate obtained from
solar gain transmitted through vertical, maintaining comfort in hot and humid worksheet IV is specific to the location.
south-facing double glazing on a clear climates. Ventilation is restricted to Within the same viCinity and within plus
January day. The driving effect of times when the outside dew-point or minus 20%, the result could be
suns paces and vented Trombe walls is temperature is less than 62 OF. This adjusted, based on a ratio of cooling
assumed to result in one-third this restriction avoids ventilation when high degree days. However, this adjustment is
value, based on data from monitored hUmidity might cause discomfort not done automatically within the
buildings. The origin of the 61 % factor is worksheet.
described in the references. 4. Robert D. McFarland and Gloria
Lazarus, Monthly AwdIlary CooUng
Estimation for Residential Buildings,
Getting Data
Annual Auxiliary Cooling lA-11394-MS, Los Alamos National
(Worksheet IV) Laboratory, NM 87545, 1989.
Heating and cooling degree-day data can
be obtained from the National Climatic
The purpose of including the summer Center, Asheville, NC. Refer to
cooling estimates in the Builder Notfor Sizing Equipment Climatography of the United States No.
Guidelines is to (1) determine if design 81 which lists monthly normals for the
elements added to promote passive solar All heating and cooling values given in period 1951-1980 on a state-by-state
heating will cause excessive summer the Builder Guidelines Tables and basis. More than 2400 locations are
cooling loads and (2) provide a rough numbers calculated using the listed in this data base.
estimate of the effectiveness of solar worksheets are for annual heat delivered
shading and natural cooling strategies. or removed by the mechanical heating or
The analysis method is based on a cooling system. You cannot directly use
modified monthly degree-day procedure these numbers for sizing the capacity of
in which the day is divided into day and this equipment. The methods developed
night periods (reference 4). All estimates by the American Society of Heating,
are derived from correlations based on Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning
hourly computer simulations. Solar, Engineers for sizing equipment are well-
conduction, and internal gains are established and are recommended. The
estimated for each half-day period in purpose of the guidance provided in
each month. Delay factors are used to these booklets is to minimize the
account for heat carryover from day to operating time and resources consumed
night and night to day. The results are by this eqUipment.
estimates of annual sensible cooling
delivered by the air conditioner and do Using the Worksheets in
not include latent loads.
Because the the original Los Alamos
Nearby Locations
monthly procedure is too complex to be
The applicability of worksheets I and II
implemented in a worksheet, a Simplified
can be extended somewhat by using the
procedure is adopted on worksheet IV.
base-65 OF degree-day value for a site
Heat Gain Factors and Internal Gain
which is close to the location for which
Factors in Tables L and N are the
the worksheet tables were generated. We
calculated annual incremental cooling
recommend limiting such applications to
loads resulting from a one-unit
sites where the annual heating degree-
incremental change in the respective
days are within plus or minus 10% of the
heat input parameter (that is, a one-unit
parent location and where it is
change in UA, glazing area, or number of
reasonable to assume that the solar
bedrooms). The combined heat load
radiation is about the same as in the
resulting from all inputs is summed and
parent location. The procedure 1s simple:
then adjusted for thermal mass and
Use the measured base-65 OF degree-day
ventilation. This correction includes a
value in worksheet I, line F, instead of
constant required to match the
the degree-day value for the parent
calculated cooling load of the base-case
location.
building. This linearized procedure gives
Worksheet III depends only slightly
accurate estimates for cooling loads that
on location. The only variables are the
are less than about 150% of the base-
Comfort Factors in Table I, which only
case building: however, it
change with latitude. Thus, this

Passive PDF

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Passive PDF

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Passive PDF

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Passive Solar

Passive Solar Industries Council

Passive Solar Industries Council

Part One. Introduction . ...................................... 1

Part Two. Basics of Passive Solar . .............................. 7

Part Three. Strategies for Improving Energy Performance

Acknowledger.nents whose work is the basis of the Director of National Accounts,

Passive Solar Industries Council

Part One: Introduction

2. Passive Solar Performance Potential

1. The Passive Solar Passive Solar Design BuilderGuide

Perfonnance Potential of Passive Solar Strategies

Base Case 9.6 not applicable

Direct Gain (145 sf of south glass)

Sunspace (145 sf of south glass)

Thennal Storage Wall- Masonry/Concrete

Thennal Storage Wall - Water Wall

2. The attached sunspace is assumed to have, in addition to glazed

Part Two: Basics of Passive Solar

2. Key Concepts: Energy Conservation,

3. Improving Conservation Performance

8. Site Planning for Solar Access

9. Interior Space Planning

10. Putting it Together: The House as a System

The thermal reSistance of Slab edge insulation should

7. Orientation When glazing is oriented In the ideal situation, the

performance is to allow the

Once again, there is an ideal solar access.

9. Interior Space Another general principle is 10. Putting it

Checklist for Good Design

Part Three: Strategies for Improving

o. Thermal Storage Wall

7. Natural Cooling Guidelines

• Three numbers The R-values indicated in the

amount of direct-gain glazing for overheat the room, and to

glazing to be used is already l00#/cI

Examples of Heat Energy Savings

Air Changes/Hour 0.75 0.53 0.75 0.55

Glass Area (percent of total floor area)

Added Thermal Mass

Solar System Size (square feet)

Percent Solar Savings

Summary: Insulation and tightness have been increased. South-facing

Summer Overheating Common Wall Some solar energy may be

5. Thermal Storage Selective Sur:faces

Mass Wall Thickness Examples of Heat Energy Savings

Glass Area (percent of total floor area)

6. Combined Systems 7. Natural Cooling Fortunately, many of the

Glazing and so they may interfere with

A combination of carefully sized Ceiling Fans

Passive Solar Industries Council

JackHD, Ml••l ••lppi

Project Name Floor Area

Worksheet I: Conservation Performance Level

A. Envelope Heat Loss

B. Foundation Perimeter Heat Loss

C. Infiltration Heat Loss

Volume per Hour

D. Total Heat Loss per Square Foot 24 X