Passive solar house design Washington

Seattle is notorious for being a wet, cold, dark environment in the winter. However, Seattle, and all of western Washington, still has  ample “insolation” for passive solar buildings. In fact, Seattle has better solar potential than northern Germany, where glassed-in porches have been part of housing for roughly a hundred years.

As opposed to solar electric systems that require sunshine to be effective, “solar thermal,” meaning space heating or water heating, doesn’t require bright sunlight…just light, which is transformed into heat when it passes through glass. There are straightforward  principles of passive solar house design in Washington: Identify the volume of the space to be heated, size appropriate south-facing glass, and then size the proper amount of thermal mass to store the accumulated heat overnight.

Anthony Stoppiello has been involved in passive solar house design in Washington since 1993, including major remodels of existing houses to enhance their solar potential. The Kess-Spackman home on the eastern shore of Willapa Bay is a good example of incorporating direct gain passive solar principles, excellent natural light…and disabled accessibility, including an elevator for one of the home owners.

A new house is easier to design and build, but still requires an experienced solar architect to evaluate the site and work with the client to develop their functional and aesthetic requirements.

Contact Anthony at 503-368-6141 for more information on passive solar homes and for on-site evaluations.