| Here's another insight into residential construction. It comes from Chris Magliozzi, BayPoint's Operations Manager. If you have comments or questions, please send them to me and I'll do my best to answer right away. |
| Can't Stand the Heat? |
| Ironically,
solar gain can be a bigger problem in the winter than in the summer.
That’s
because the angle of the winter sun is lower, allowing rays to shine
beneath eves
and into windows. It doesn’t take long for passive solar energy to
build up,
heating a space beyond comfort. And if there’s a thermostat in the
room, other
heating zones in the house may also be affected. |
| But
heat is a good thing in winter and sharing the winter wealth of solar
gain is definitely
possible. It’s good for the homeowner and for the planet! The excess
solar
energy just needs to be modulated or redistributed. The first step
toward
harnessing solar gain is controlling the amount of sun you let into the
space
to begin with. Close attention should be paid to structural
details like
eves, overhangs, window treatments and window placement. |
| Solar
gain redistribution can be accomplished by adapting
a home’s mechanical systems to take advantage of the sun.
If the home has an
air conditioning or forced hot air heating system, you can use the
existing
duct work with a zone damper control system to harvest the hot air.
Instead of
the thermostat telling the furnace to burn more fossil fuels, the
thermostat
will tell the system to distribute the hot air into the cold zones of
the
house. Whether you’re working within
an existing home or you’re
designing a new home, it’s always a good idea to locate thermostats out
of the
range of winter rays. Then you can sit back, relax and let the sun's
winter rays warm you... comfortably. |
|
Chris Magliozzi |
| If you have comments or questions about our monthly tips,
please send those directly to me by clicking HERE or by calling me at
617-614-0595. |
| Visit our web site at www.baypointbuilderscorp.com
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