Thread: Solar passive house

I have this vision of the house I want to build, given lottery wins and a long enough time on this earth. Take one north facing hill overlooking a valley, bury a house in it deep enough to control the climate, the north facing wall which is all you would see would be all glass with light and shade controlled by shutters. The huge workshop would also be underground.

I'd love to do the same Mini except I'd have a south facing front

Glass cost was was about one seventh of total. V expensive.

Unfortunately due to the low volume of double glaze window sales the double glaze is dearer than it should be.

If there is a case for double glazing Australia has one in regards to heat and cooling. The heat transfer through 3mm or 4mm glass is phenomenal.

Its almost pointless insulating walls without double glazing.

Double glazing is compulsory in some parts of Europe not to mention common place.

As electricity becomes more expensive people will look at double glazing to dramatically reduce their energy bills and noise in Australia.

Have a look at this company which is one of the more common double glazed windows used in Europe.

http://www.eurocell.co.uk/

Yes more double glazing is needed to put costs down. Met a person in Junee who was interested in DG for retirement units - I suggested that if possible all or most should have maybe just one north room D Glazed ie the lounge room as this is where older folk can warm up in winter etc.
re our solar house - we have more glass windows & doors than we should have for maximum heat/cool benefit, but the views and the light are fantastic!! Cheers Ric C

Originally Posted by autogenous

Unfortunately due to the low volume of double glaze window sales the double glaze is dearer than it should be.

If there is a case for double glazing Australia has one in regards to heat and cooling. The heat transfer through 3mm or 4mm glass is phenomenal.

Its almost pointless insulating walls without double glazing.

Double glazing is compulsory in some parts of Europe not to mention common place.

As electricity becomes more expensive people will look at double glazing to dramatically reduce their energy bills and noise in Australia.

Have a look at this company which is one of the more common double glazed windows used in Europe.

http://www.eurocell.co.uk/

Nice smart eco house.

A lot of the actions taken with these type house's should be law for all new dwellings... but in saying that in my area it doesnt matter what passive cooling you use... you need some form of mechanical air conditioning. Today was the 1st day below 40° for 15 days straight!

Originally Posted by Harry72

Nice smart eco house.

A lot of the actions taken with these type house's should be law for all new dwellings... but in saying that in my area it doesnt matter what passive cooling you use... you need some form of mechanical air conditioning.

Underground housing negates AC in any hot climate. Coober Pedy is the classic example.

Verandahs or large eaves which keep the direct sun off walls in summer and allow sun in winter are great. 3 mm single glazed glass lets in so much heat and out so much heat in winter its ridiculous.

Even if you could hang shade cloth in front of east/west walls during high heat would be good preventing sun from reaching the house.

Amazingly enough two story houses with concrete slabs seem to be substantially cooler down stairs in some cases.

When you have long periods of heat the ground and walls get so hot they don't cool down at night.

I Have wondered for some time why Australian Houses don't have two rooves, one on top of the other, the lower being shaded and not being heat loaded by the sun. The cavity between the two would be a draught way from bottom to the top as the outer roof would be open at the peak and at the lower end near the eaves. the same principle as a tropical roof on a Landrover for any who is familiar with those.

Originally Posted by autogenous

3 mm single glazed glass lets in so much heat and out so much heat in winter its ridiculous.

I can completely agree. We only have single glazed windows about 3mm thick & we loose so much heat thru the window in winter. We have 100% block out rubber backed curtains to help keep the cold out but u can feel it when u walk past any of the windows, its like walking past an open refrigerator door.

Are there any methods for insulating the existing windows without replacing them with double glazed glass?

Originally Posted by Rattrap

Are there any methods for insulating the existing windows without replacing them with double glazed glass?

Have a look here

dunno if available in oz commercially but its really only flyscreen type frames with clear plastic attached. Easy enough for a diy job.

Nice house Richard, I like it. Good web site too!

Mark

Hey bob,
Thanks for the link mate. I had to do a little searching to find a product available in Tasmania. came up with these 2,
http://www.todae.com.au/comersus2/st...?idProduct=629

http://www.magnetite.com.au/page.asp?pID=236

I Have wondered for some time why Australian Houses don't have two rooves, one on top of the other, the lower being shaded and not being heat loaded by the sun. The cavity between the two would be a draught way from bottom to the top as the outer roof would be open at the peak and at the lower end near the eaves. the same principle as a tropical roof on a Landrover for any who is familiar with those.

The issue with drafts is air friction creates heat.
Lots of insulation is a better bet.
Masonry roofs store a lot of heat especially the black ones.
Tin roofs cool down quick and don't store a lot of heat, white/grey reflects heat.

i was reminded of when I visited the house of Flynn,

Interesting concept. Solid mass walls are difficult to pass in some shire/councils due to moisture transition levels. Rammed earth is a fantastic look. Its however not allowed by some councils.

Many councils require below ground rooms have windows for fire access etc.

In the UK there's 300mm of insulation in the ceiling.
100mm in the wall cavity and 100mm of Styrofoam under concrete floors.

Heavy curtains help but the cost way outstrips the cost of double glazing. Good curtains are very expensive and not as efficient as true double glazing which also has a gas injected to assist in reduction of heat transfer.

The issue at present is energy is cheap in Australia. Over the next ten years thats about to change drastically.

As China grows the demand for coal and other energy commodities will rise with global prices.

Originally Posted by Mini

Underground housing negates AC in any hot climate. Coober Pedy is the classic example.

Not much good here, you'll end up in water...