Passive Heating and CoolingWhat is it? Passive heating and cooling is the use of the outdoor environment, from winter sunshine to the constant temperature of the earth and prevailing wind directions, to effect the temperature of the indoor environment without mechanical input.
Comprised of proper siting and orientation, thermal mass, and insulation, passive heating and cooling is the oldest method of indoor environmental control. PHC crosses over into almost every other aspect of H.I.D.E.S. design, from natural ventilation strategies to daylighting, and from heating water to cooling the roof.
How does it work? Passive heating uses trombe walls, sunrooms, and solar cookers to produce heat, both for whole house heating, room specific heating, and natural cooking. Cooling strategies include shading, use of light colored paints to reflect solar heat, and natural ventilation techniques.
What are the benefits? At its finest, passive heating and cooling frees a building owner from using active (and costly) heating and cooling controls. Without mechanical heating and cooling, there is nothing to break, nothing to fix, and nothing to maintain. Not only does PHC save enormously on heating, cooling, and maintenance bills, it contributes no pollution to the environment. Passive heating and cooling is sustainability raised to a form of art.
How does Exup approach PHC? By integrating designs that “must” be used in certain environments, such as thick, dense, sturdy walls in high-threat areas, Exup wrings one more more benefit out of standard passive heating and cooling. Alternatively, in post-disaster environments such as hurricane-prone areas, having a mass wall not only lowers the operating cost for a house, it increases the survivability of the house through the next storm.
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