Solar Dwelling Design Concepts

This publication is about solar energy and how its use for heating and cooling will affect dwelling design and site planning. It has been prepared as a brief introduction for consumers, designers, and builders interested in solar heating and cooling. Beginning with a brief history of solar energy applications, a more thorough description of solar components and how they are organized into heating, cooling and domestic hot water systems follows. Next, factors which influence the design of solar dwellings and systems are discussed. The remain portion of the publication illustrates dwelling and site design concepts responsive to these factors for various housing types, solar systems, and climates.