The greatest gain from passive solar design starts in the initial design of the building. Depending on the climate, considerations should be made in areas such as building alignment with the sun, window placement and glazing, thermal insulation, thermal mass, and overhangs and awnings. Even though the greatest gain is usually in a new construction, some of these considerations can be applied to existing buildings by adapting or changing its current design.  This type of design does not need to be difficult or time consuming – any type of building can integrate passive solar design -  it does require knowledge and use of solar geometry, window technology and working with the local climate.

Benefits – sunlight can provide enough heat, light, and shade and promote ventilation in a well designed home. Passive solar design can reduce heating and cooling bills, while providing improved comfort in living. Most designs will typically save energy costs with a low maintenance solution over the life of the home.

Home Orientation – Orienting the home so that the main wall that will accept the solar energy should be parallel or near parallel to the equator. This allows for the most exposure to the building, allowing for heat gain in the winter and heat deflection in the summer.

Window Selection – Windows on this main wall of the home should be chosen to allow the most solar absorption with minimal energy loss. Reflective window coatings will reduce the amount of energy gain and should be avoided. Also using double or triple glazing windows will help to reduce heat loss by use of insulation. The positions of the windows are also key in passive solar systems. By positioning the windows to allow for optimal solar gain in the winter, usually by lining them up with the solar path, allows for more absorption in the winter while limiting absorption in the summer.

Insulation - Wall insulation are key in retaining heat in the winter, and repelling heat in the summer. Some walls are even constructed with insulation materials alone.

Thermal mass – Walls that are designed to absorb heat energy throughout the day for heat storage and then slowly release the energy through the night are based on thermal mass. Adobe and packed earth are types of thermal mass walls.

Awnings, window coverings, and shading devices – Placing awnings and other types of shading devices to allow winter solar energy to be absorbed while reflecting or blocking the summer sun. By working with the suns natural angles during the seasons, we help control solar energy absorption.

Other considerations – There are other considerations that can be used to help with passive solar energy. Some of these are landscaping, using specific colors for absorption/reflection, passive solar lighting, and passive water heating.

These techniques can be used on a whole in construction, or can be used independently depending on the needs of the project.

By using any or all of these techniques, you can effectively reduced construction costs while maintaining the integrity of the structure. The initial training and planning that it takes to develop a system using these techniques is more time consuming. Once your crew is comfortable and skilled in advanced framing, the benefits outweigh any additional overhead.

Things to consider

Reducing, reusing, and recycling drywall provides the following benifits:

• Creating business opportunities
• Saving money for builders, contractors, and home renovators
• Helping local governments meet their goal of reducing disposal by 50 percent

When drywall waste is disposed in landfills, hydrogen sulfide gas may be produced, particularly in a wet climate. Several conditions are required, including a moist, anaerobic environment and a low pH. Hydrogen sulfide gas is toxic at high concentrations (~1,000 parts per million) and has a foul, rotten-egg odor. Several communities  do not accept drywall at landfills for this reason.

Our practices include the following:

Reduce – We are more diligent in our estimations to be more accurate in how we hang our drywall. Being more accurate reduces excess material needed, which leads to a more cost effective project.

Reuse – One of the main waste contributors has been cutting a sheet of drywall and throwing away the unused portion. We sort our drywall during and after construction for material that would be usable rather than wasting.

Recycle – Recycling is a major effort in drywall. Unused scrap can be effectively and safely processed to have a future life as additions to soils and can be recycled into new drywall.