My new 4000 sq. ft. traditional style passive solar home costs $125.00 a sq. ft. to build and uses 70% less energy to heat than a comparable size ENERGY STAR qualified home. If this same size home was built in a comparably cold but sunnier climate than my Snow Belt area and had normal height ceilings instead of my high ceilings, savings approaching 80% could be easily achieved.

Bruce Brownell, a nationally recognized solar engineer for over 30 years, tailored the passive solar system that was incorporated in the house I designed. It operates on three principles. First, it acquires heat from the sun through south facing windows. It then stores the heat in a 1 ft. thick concrete slab thermal storage battery that works on the simple physics of a cup of coffee. Everything wants to even out to the same temperature. Pour hot coffee in a cold mug and within minutes the mug heats up and the coffee cools down until they are the same temperature. That principle is how the slab works. The slab stores excess heat from air passing through ducts embedded in it and then releases the heat slowly, as needed, to stay in equilibrium with the house. Finally, it keeps the heat from seeping out by using 4” of rigid insulation on the outside of the exterior walls, concrete slab and roof. You can see a comprehensive description of how the home was built and functions as well as participating vendors at www.SolarHouseProject.com.