[Greenbuilding] Ductless Heat Pump Performance

[natural building]

While passive solar energy may not be easy or have the highest rewards, it could be considered as FREE since it is part of the design stage and doesn't necessarily involve additional expenditure. So to NOT consider passive solar as an effective strategy where it can be utilised seems, to me, to be throwing away free energy...

'...airtightness, insulation, and good windows' all involve additional expense to achieve their rewards.

Regards,
Steve Satow

www.naturalbuildingsite.net
naturalbuilding at shaw.ca

On 2011-12-06, at 1:29 PM, Alan Abrams wrote:

> 
> Although passive solar is wonderful when you can get it easily, the experience of the solar boom of the 70's showed that
> 
> Hence, in our practise at BSC we find passive solar is actually rarely a big win, whereas airtightness, insulation, and good windows almost always are.  I think the use of efficient, affordable air-source heat pumps has more impact and applicability to the market than many active technologies, and much more than "solar sheds" or solar walls etc.
> 
> All that said if I was building a new home on a largish rural property, getting solar gains through good planning would be high on my list of priorities.  Alas, that is a rather small chunk of the residential energy consuming market.
> 
> 
> hear hear...passive solar ain' t that easy, even on the three acre parcel that is the site of current project.  maybe a half acre is not restricted by septic area, conservation area (a dense stand of tall tulip poplars), and conventional setbacks.   the site slopes down to the north.  by the time any kind of reliable drainage is achieved, and a logical driveway routed, the house is shoved back against the tree line to the south.
> 
> at least it should take some edge off the cooling load...
> 
> AA
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