Passive Solar Thermal Mass Flooring

Thermal mass is another vital and complimentary component of passive solar design.

Passive solar thermal mass flooring.

In simple terms a passive solar home collects heat as the sun shines through south facing windows and retains it in materials that store heat known as thermal mass. The share of the home s heating load that the passive solar design can meet is called the passive solar fraction and depends on the area of glazing and the amount of thermal mass. He suggests a stained concrete floor or tile. My question is about flooring.

Passive solar heat collection from south facing windows can be absorbed and stored in thermal mass like concrete floors. Htm passive solar ebook table of contents. Introduction to high thermal mass pragmatic design low tech functions and materials. Photo gallery is packed with images commentary and our free htm home tour video.

I was planning on an engineered wood floor but my builder pointed out that this would prevent the sun from heating the slab. Thermal mass is most commonly used for passive heating though it can also be used to absorb and dissipate heat for passive cooling. Find out more in the ecohome building guide. Floor plans features several functional basic layouts and commentary on design choices.

Your passive solar design expert can optimise the amount and placement of both glazing and thermal mass by using hour by hour simulations of the design. A material that has thermal mass is one that has the capacity to absorb store and release the sun s heat energy its density and levels of conductivity help to keep the internal temperature of a building stable. Although thermal mass is often in the form of a concrete floor there are other ways to incorporate it into a home such as a wall that receives lots of sun or. Thickness concrete slab floors should be 100 200mm thick for the best performance while thermal mass walls should be 100 150mm thick.

For thermal mass it has a concrete slab floor with insulation underneath. Questions answers about how to choose a finish floor to be installed over a. But there are other eco friendly flooring options that are comfortable don t impede the absorption of solar radiation for passive heating. Flooring materials for passive solar floor slab designs where direct solar gain and passive solar heat storage are desired.

A properly designed passive solar system can reap energy savings for a home because the thermal mass can store excess heat during the day and allow it to offset nighttime heating loads. More information can be found here on using thermal mass for heating and cooling floor requirements to provide thermal mass for heating wall requirements to provide thermal mass for heating water as a thermal mass. I am building a home that will use a combination of a mini split and passive solar in the pacific northwest.