Is Sun Control now critical??

crowie

Hi All,
I just thought I'd "stick a wet finger into the breeze" and see what the general opinion is on passive solar design in new residential homes? Everyone talks about it but is the "care factor" really there? Will the driver be a massive increase in energy prices or does the critical mass now care enough to spend the bucks? I've come up with a new way of dealing with it (that is also a positive design feature), built a prototype but I'm not sure if I should take it further. Anyhow the info is on my website if you think it's a good idea I'd love to hear from you, so far I've had lots of apathy......

Phil

Is Sun Control Now Critical... thought it always had been

Phi

mark_melb

This would be a good product for retrofitting to a project home in a housing estate but for elegantly architecturally designed buildings which have been properly oriented and sited, properly insulated and built from suitable materials, it would be like taking grams off a lightweight racing bicycle.

What do the architects think though?

crowie

Your right about Project homes, Mc Mansions etc and that is what I would see as a massive retrofit market as the reality of the Australian residential market is that most homes aren't well designed by architects.
Where I was coming from with the post was, is there now an opportunity to build north facing indoor/outdoor "interfaces" that, (through using some fairly simple existing technology) can change with the weather or seasons.
You can almost ignore the design of the structure as I have drawn, it is just to show the concept, the important thing is a structure that is part of the building design that is dynamic to optimise the passive solar heating of the house rather than solving the issue by using blinds or shutters etc.

mark_melb

I would love to see a more sophisticated operating system. Solar?

mark_melb

I would love to see a more sophisticated operating system. Solar?

crowie

Mechanically, I am trying to keep the operating system as simple as possible, (KISS principle). However from the controls side I would like to link it into a home automation system, so the panel can track the path of the sun. Opening at dawn & warming the house to a preset temperature, closing if it starts to rain or the house gets too warm. And then opening again on warm summer nights after sunset to help expel the heat. Or alternatively closing after sunset in winter to help contain the heat.
As per the previous post, I think this would be a massive opportunity for all those big boxy Mc Mansions built without eaves or site consideration.
Thats the plan

dav_

Maybe i'm missing the point, but surely there are less complicated, less energy-consuming ways of dealing with this issue, even if we look solely at retro-fitting mcmansions.

For starters, is there even evidence that says the kind of person who goes about building a weak mcmansion house is going to do anything other than turn up the air-con when heat becomes a problem? Is there actually a market for this?

Even so, would not deciduous vines or trees, pergolas or whatever be more environmentally friendly and effective (as shown by so many deisgn for so long) than what I can only discern to be a motorised eave?

On top of that, I'm not sure I agree with the idea of a huge flapping verandah on the side of a house.

Also, is Phil getting more cranky and self-important with every post?

Sorry Crowie, I don't think flappy house-wings are the answer, retro-fitted or not. But hell, more power to you if you get it to work and get it to sell. I wish you the best of luck.

Dav

crowie

Flappy house wings, I love it! It reminds me of a painting Reg Mombassa did for Mambo where he had little flying fibro boxes.
As for the McMansion owner, I think as enviromental issues become more mainstream and part of lifestyle programs and dedicated magazines start appearing it could become a trend and then being green would be "keeping up with the Jones' " Have you seen the new "G" mag that has just hit the newsstands...
As for the complexity, it is that of an automatic garage door opener, and I'm sure we don't steer away from those because they're too complicated, energy consumption well two little DC motors for 30 seconds is negligble.
I guess I'm looking to find out if anyone out there has considered designing a house that almost "morphs" into something different between seasons, say a soaring skillion for winter and then a low shaded hip roof for summer, the solar efficiency could almost be a side benefit.......

Phil

Oi!!!!!!