How to Support Your Solar System With Passive Heating and Cooling

Anyone interested in reducing their carbon footprint and electric bills at the same time should invest in solar energy. It's easy to generate energy throughout the day and can raise the value of your home. You can also find tax breaks that help reduce the cost of installation. 

However, you can further save the environment by researching and implementing passive heating and cooling. Instead of wasting your energy on things like air conditioning, you can put that energy towards more important appliances. 

Here's what you should know about cooling a home with passive methods. 

What is Passive Heating and Cooling?

When people see the cost of heating, they often tend to forgo it to save money. They don't know that there are plenty of ways to cool and heat your home if it's made with a sustainable design. 

Passive heating and cooling involves using these design features to reduce the need for traditional HVAC systems. While you may still use them from time to time, you can go longer without them during the more mild months. 

Passive Heating and Cooling Techniques

There are a few different techniques implemented when making sustainable homes that use passive heating and cooling. These involve installing sufficient insulation, special types of ventilation, and shading your home. 

Insulation

First of all, you'll need to insulate your home to prevent heat transfer between the inside of your house and the outside. Some affordable ways to do so include hanging heavy curtains, adding weather stripping, and shading your windows. 

Cross Ventilation

Cross ventilation circulates cooler air from outside your house with the air inside. You can accomplish this by opening your windows and allowing in fresh air. This is best done during the cooler hours, such as first thing in the morning or late at night. 

Stack Ventilation

Hot air naturally rises to the top of your home throughout the day. As such, stack ventilation uses solar chimneys to draw that air up and out of your house. That allows cooler air to more efficiently move throughout the space.

You can also keep this in mind when you turn on your fans. Most fans have a feature that allows them to reverse and pull up warm air rather than push it down.

Night Flushing

Night flushing involves ventilating your home at night when it's the coldest outside. You can let out all the heat you accumulate during the day and prepare it for the next. However, you'll need to make sure to remember to close all your windows before it starts to heat up again. 

Support Your Solar System

Passive heating and cooling is one of the best ways to support your solar system and reduce your overall energy use. It'll help your system work more efficiently, and you won't be as reliant on your air conditioning and heating. 

Infinite Energy Home Services can help set you up with a home energy audit to find out where you can improve. We can also help with things like roof repairs, electrical upgrades, and more. Contact us today to find the best solution for your next project.