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Passive Solar.........Our Specialty!
A Trombe Wall Under Construction
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adobe bricks
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cement blocks
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rocks
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water tubes
We primarily use trombe walls that are easy to
incorporate into almost any home. A trombe wall is a thermal mass heat storage
wall with glass to the outside which collects and retains heat during the day
and releases it into the home at night when the heat is most needed.
There are many materials that can be used for mass
including:
The simple, inexpensive way to use the sun to warm your home. No moving parts, no rooftop paraphernalia, nothing to think or
worry about. In a passively heated home, the house becomes a solar heat
collector. Passive designs manage natural thermal flow by the shape,
composition, and orientation of various construction assemblies. We always
look for ways to orient the homes we build with most of the glass facing to
the south.
We also use other methods to store heat from pouring a 6",
rather than 4", concrete slab in front of south facing windows, to using dark
colored tile that will retain the heat from our sunny New Mexico days and
release it long after the sun goes down. Any amount of solar mass will help
lower your heating bills in the winter months
 
We Also Build Active Systems
Active solar systems utilize the same storage mass techniques
as passive systems. Active systems use a method to circulate air or water that
is heated by the solar mass throughout the home.
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The advantage to this system is that it is possible to attain
full circulation through the house (even the north facing rooms).
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The disadvantage to active solar systems is that it takes
energy to make energy (i.e. circulation pumps or fans to move the heated
air/water).
for a full letter of recommendation from passive solar customers
Utilize the Sun's
Energy!
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