Passive Cooling
Passive cooling is a non-mechanical way to cool your home naturally and is the least expensive means of cooling in both a financial and environmental sense. It uses a range of strategies such as; orientation, ventilation, windows, shading, insulation and thermal mass. However, the essential element of passive cooling is air movement. It cools people by increasing evaporation and requires both breeze capture and fans for backup in still conditions.
Passive cooling was incorporated in the C&P house at North Curl Curl through the use of louvres – The louvres catch the ocean breeze and create gentle cross ventilation throughout the house.
In the C&D House in Dee Why, a green courtyard was created to provide a natural evaporative cooling effect.
Passive Heating
Passive heating uses heat directly from the sun and is the least expensive way to heat your home. The design aims to keep out the summer sun and let in the winter sun while ensuring the buildings overall thermal performance retains that heat in winter but allows it to escape in summer. It requires careful attention to the northern orientation of daytime living areas, passive shading of glass, appropriate glass areas on northern façades, thermal mass for storing heat, insulation and draught sealing and climate-appropriate glazing solution.
Passive heating was used in the K&C heritage house at Manly through the use of orientation and concreate.
Thermal mass is utilised via the concrete slab to store heat and the north-facing orientation of the house.
Solar Shading
Solar shading is used to identify several systems that control the amount of heat and light admitted into the building from the sun. As a result, solar shading methods significantly reduce the cost of energy usage. For northern elevations, eaves are the simplest and least expensive shading method. Fixed horizontal shading devices can also maximise solar access to north-facing glass throughout the year without requiring any user effort; however, good orientation is essential for effective passive shading.
Solar shading was incorporated in the C&P House at North Curl Curl through timber batten brise soleil. This method allows the low winter sun to penetrate deep into the rooms, providing natural warmth and preventing summer overheating.
If you would like to know more about Passive Cooling, Passive Heating and Solar Shading, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We are experts in the sustainability field and love to answer your questions, especially our very own, Certified Passive House Designer and Consultant, Carole Huard!
