Solar Energy Houses

Softcover  202pp  ISBN 9781902916439      £65.00

Passive and active solar strategies together with the adoption of energy conservation measures and the integration of new materials and technologies can lead to dramatic reduction of 75-90% in the energy consumption in domestic buildings.

The objective of Task 13 of the IEA's Solar Heating and Cooling Programme was to advance solar building technologies and demonstrate this potential by designing and then constructing buildings that met very low energy consumption targets while maintaining a good indoor climate.

This new, revised second edition of Solar Energy Houses presents the findings of the Task 13 experts and now includes the results of the monitoring programme, conducted to determine the effectiveness of the techniques and strategies adopted.

Initially, Task 13 members from 15 participating countries in three continents pooled ideas to evolve design strategies. Innovative materials, systems, components and technologies were also considered and used where cost-effective: these included advanced glazings, transparent insulation, thermal storage materials, integrated mechanical systems, intelligent control systems, solar water collectors and photovoltaic systems. The design strategies were then implemented in fifteen experimental houses, built in very different climates. The book demonstrates clearly the practical application of the strategies and technologies and points out their strengths and weaknesses. In addition, the buildings were monitored over time to evaluate the energy performance of the building components and the buildings themselves, together with thermal comfort and user issues. This new edition also provides a detailed analysis of this programme in terms of how far the expectations of the Task experts were met and highlights the specific successes and lessons learned from the project

The book will be extremely valuable to all architects and planners working either to design domestic buildings with lower energy usage, or simply to see a wider application of the strategies and technologies now available to achieve this.

Editors

Professor Anne-Grete Hestnes, NTNU, Trondheim, Norway
S. Robert Hastings of Architecture, Energy & Environment GmbH, Switzerland
Bjarne Saxhof, Department of Buildings and Energy, DTU, Lyngby, Denmark.