Product Description
While heat from sunlight and ventilation from breezes is free for the taking,few modern architects or builders really understand the principles involved. Yet “naturalconditioning”—heating and cooling with passive solar techniques—is a viable alternative tofossil fuels. Dan Chiras, author of the popular book The Natural House, brings these principlesto a new generation of solar enthusiasts.Chiras sets the record straight on the vast potential for passive heating and cooling. Acknowledgingthe good intentions of misguided solar designers in the past, he highlights certainegregious errors and shows how to avoid them. In methodical detail he provides contemporaryhome builders with all the necessary tools for successful solar design. You will learn:? How to select a cost-effective, energy-efficient, andenvironmentally friendly backup heating system? How to preserve indoor air quality in an airtight,energy-efficient home? W ays of employing green building materials in anaturally conditioned homeThe Solar House also explains the new diagnostic aids availablein printed worksheet or software formats that allowreaders to generate their own design schemes.
About the Author
Dan Chiras paid his last electric bill in June of 1996. It is not that he has disavowed the use of electricity and modern conveniences, but rather that he has turned to the sun and wind to meet his family's needs. In 1995, Dan, a former full-time college professor with years of experience in sustainable development, built a state-of-the-art rammed earth tire and straw bale home in Evergreen, Colorado. He installed solar electric panels on the roof; a year or so later he installed a small wind generator. Since that time, he has met nearly all of his electrical needs for his home and office from these clean, renewable sources.
