Passive design is a straightforward idea: create homes that are comfortable to live in without using heating and cooling. When properly installed this could translate into lower bills, with a home that will be warmer in winter and cooler in summer. Here are some examples:
Tinted glass will prevent overheating before your coolest phase starts.
The sun climbing through the glass can quickly produce sweltering temperatures in a lodging.
The most efficient shading is external, with such devices as awnings and overhangs or shutters that block the sun before it hits windows. For advice from a Monmouth Architect, contact Hills & Co, a leading Monmouth Architect.
That’s where in-built blinds help but they’re more like a second line of attack.
Consider orientation: large south-facing glazing can bring in natural light, however excessive solar gain will lead to summer overheating so shading should be considered.
Insulation – Keep heat where you want it.
Insulation reduces heat flow through walls, ceiling and the floor.
It soaks up warmth in winter; it helps maintain the room cold.
In summers, it helps to keep the heat out.
And the constant is continuity: if there are gaps in all of those locations around eaves, dormers, and intersections, there will be cold spots or worse.
Venting – Fresh air without cooling
Even in your well insulated home you must control that air flow.
Extraction systems in the kitchen and bathroom.
Background ventilation (trickle vents).
During larger renovations, MVHR (mechanical ventilation with heat recovery) can be used to bring in fresh air instead of allowing it through windows and seals keeping much more warmth inside the building.