Posted by VaTom on March 06, 2014 at 08:33:07 from (70.32.203.33):
In Reply to: Re: Solar heating? posted by Bret4207 on March 06, 2014 at 07:27:34:
Bret, great that you were interested enough to search. What part of "Passive" in Passive Annual Heat Storage did you not understand?
This is entirely different from active systems that you're trying to lump it in with. It also has nothing to do with ambient ground temperature. The house mass stabilizes at room temperature, as I posted. For this to work on an annual basis, the mass is extremely large.
I was clear, you did not misunderstand. This is annual heat storage, not a few days, annual.
The mass reaches its lowest temperature at the end of winter, exactly when everybody else here starts thinking about air conditioning. The mass cools our house all summer, getting gradually warmer until reaching its peak temperature just when winter is beginning. This cycle has been repeated here for 20 years, and will continue until my steel and concrete house no longer exists. Nothing is required from me, or any future occupant.
Not surprising that this is a new idea to you, the guy who wrote the book didn't do much to promote the concept. I was an early builder. Today they have been built all over, though still few in number.
Near the Pyrenees in France one is under construction, built of rammed earth walls. An attractive part is that no particular architecture is required, can look like almost anything. You just have to figure out where to put the very large mass. Usually, the house sits on and in it.
In Georgia a non-standard house must have proof submitted before a building permit can be issued. They require proof that the house will maintain 68º in January, with no apparent heating system. What is the heat loss for the house, and where does the heat to replace it come from? Answers are required. I think every state should do something similar. Might get people to insist on better houses.
Those Ga building department officials had never heard of the concept either. Now accepted there.
Until I had several years experience here, my head building inspector remained convinced that what I built would never work. He kept visiting and finally admitted he was wrong and asked if he could give my number to select interested homeowners. This isn't rocket science, but it is unlike previous solar plans.
I get a steady trickle of interested folks through here, they need to "see" it. There's really little to see, just a partially buried house. What is invisible, and makes PAHS work, is the insulating umbrella that isolates the house mass from ambient air temperature. Without it, annual heat storage would not occur.
The book author didn't do a great job of explaining how and why PAHS works. After building, and finding my performance was not quite as good as in Missoula, I was curious why. An engineering manual written at Stanford U. for non-engineers led me through the calculations to determine precisely how heat movement works in these houses.
I now consult, primarily with thermal modeling of proposed houses so that any design errors can be corrected before construction.
The second (and last) PAHS house I built, is just down the road here. The owner is putting up with an 80 mile each way commute. That's crazy, but he won't give up the house. I told him he doesn't need me, any competent contractor can build one. His previous house was a lovely post&beam SIPs place that he would never settle for again.
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