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Solar house

The solar-house approach is based on taking full advantage of the free energy potential provided by the sun for space heating and providing hot water.

Solar houses are low or ultra-low-energy buildings that cover the bulk or at least half of their annual heating energy requirement by means of a solar thermal system.

Here again, a basic prerequisite for this approach is a building envelope that insulates really well against heat loss.

The following components are foreseen for supplying heat:

1. Solar thermal system
2. A fairly large solar storage unit inside the building and/or building components made of concrete (floors) or brick centre walls to store solar heat for several days or weeks.
3. A back-up heating system to maintain comfortable indoor temperatures even if heat in the storage unit runs low during extended periods with little sun in winter.

Solar house compound with solar storage unit (source: Andol; http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Solarhauskomplex_mit_Solartank.png#/media/File:Solarhauskomplex_mit_Solartank.png)

4. Low-temperature panel heating systems, or surfaces with thermo-active building components, distribute heat in line with actual needs and can be regulated individually room by room. In the case of thermo-active components, solar energy is actively stored in these on sunny days. This energy is then available to the building in the following days without solar heat gains.

Diagram of a solar house (source: Initiative Sonnenhaus Österreich)

With the solar house, too, the site location (climate, shade from trees, neighbouring buildings etc.) as well as the orientation of the building must be taken into account.