Credits: 3
Format: Online (6 Weeks)
Workload: 6-8 hours/week
Fee: $420
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Description: This course covers the fundamentals of designing and building a passive solar adobe home. We combine the natural power of the sun with the thermal storage capacity of adobe to create a comfortable living space. Reduced heating and cooling costs are the result.

Topic Overview: history of passive solar design worldwide with a special focus on the Southwest USA, intro to the 3 major passive solar adobe systems (direct gain, Trombe wall and greenhouse), site planning and building layout for best solar gain, floor plan design and modeling, collection system sizing and glazing requirements, calculating heat gain and heat loss, thermal storage of heat and cool using adobe, calculating window shading and passive cooling, backup heating design, passive solar insulation techniques