| One you have decided that your home is
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| | glazing is usually installed on the
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| ready for solar conversion; you need to
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| | entire south wall but kept to a minimum
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| decide the best way to do it. The first
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| | on the east and west walls. Glazing
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| step in converting an existing house for
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| | slightly angled usually to a maximum of
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| a solar power system is to choose which
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| | 60 degrees collects more sun during
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| solar strategies will work in your home.
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| | winter. The right amount of glazing for
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| Then evaluate each choice in terms of how
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| | each house will vary. The most popular
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| much solar power will it collect, how
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| | kind of glazing is fixed glass, but if
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| much money it will take to build the
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| | you want to keep down costs, you should
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| system and what the system will do to the
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| | consider other materials. Fixed windows
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| appearance of the home. One bright way to
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| | are less expensive than the operable
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| welcome the sun into your home is to
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| | variety and lose less heat. Wood framed
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| build a solar addition, or sunspace.
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| | windows lose the least heat through the
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| Constructed properly, a sunspace not only
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| | frames. For metal frames choose a brand
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| provides a ray of hope in the fight
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| | that has good thermal breaks between the
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| against rising energy bills, it also can
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| | outside and inside surfaces. Double
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| serve as a cheery, light-filled living
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| | insulated windows are the best buys in
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| area.
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| | most parts of the country.
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| A sunspace is the most popular solar
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| | Now that you have collected and stored
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| retrofit because sunspaces usually work
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| | all that free heat, you have to find a
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| well with any size or style of home.
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| | way to distribute it as evenly as
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| Besides providing inviting sun-warmed
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| | possible. You can do this in two ways,
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| living space, sunspaces are also very
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| | take advantage of natural forces, or give
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| efficient. They usually contribute
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| | Mother Nature a little help by adding a
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| anywhere from 10 to 50 percent of the
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| | fan or two. Many solar designers like to
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| heating needs of an average house. A
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| | give the convective process a boost by
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| sunspace collects energy efficiently only
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| | inserting small fans inside some of the
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| if it's built to take the heat. That
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| | vents. Another way to enhance a passive
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| ability depends primarily on three
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| | solar system is to use a fan to force
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| considerations - location, size, and
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| | solar heated air past an indirect thermal
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| glazing.
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| | mass, which makes heat transfer faster
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| There is computer software now available
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| | and making the mass more efficient. For
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| to help establish design and performance
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| | example, you can use pre-cast concrete
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| criteria for specific solar projects like
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| | slab sub-floors that have cores running
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| sunspaces. This software makes it easy to
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| | from one end to the other. Fans pull
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| avoid making uninformed and potentially
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| | solar heated air through the concrete
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| costly decisions about a sunspace
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| | storing the solar heat in the slab for
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| addition. Once you have determined where
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| | later use. Another even more extensive
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| to build the sunspace, you need to decide
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| | hybrid is an underground rock-bed that
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| how large it should be. Generally
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| | has heated air forced into it for
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| speaking, bigger is better, but deeper
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| | storage.
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| can be wasteful. You do not want to build
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| | Just about any home can tap into this
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| a sunspace so deep that sunlight can't
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| | source of almost limitless, free
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| penetrate to the back wall. Exactly how
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| | nonpolluting alternative energy source.
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| deep it should be depends on the height
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| | Once you have mastered a few basic
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| of south-facing windows and how much roof
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| | principles about passive solar energy,
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| glazing, if any, the space will have, as
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| | you can open your house to sunlight,
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| well as sun angles, shading, and other
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| | capture and store its energy and
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| factors at your site.
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| | distribute energy and heat when and where
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| The third consideration is the amount,
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| | you need it.
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| type, and placement of glazing. Under the
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| | Visit this popular website to learn
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| best circumstances, each square foot of
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| | about solar energy resources.
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| glazing will collect enough heat to warm
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| | Visit this popular website to learn
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| two square feet of sunspace area. Thus,
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| | about solar energy resources.
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