FHB Logo Facebook LinkedIn Email Pinterest Twitter Instagram Tiktok YouTube Plus Icon Close Icon Navigation Search Icon Navigation Search Icon Arrow Down Icon Video Guide Icon Article Guide Icon Modal Close Icon Guide Search Icon Skip to content
Subscribe
Log In
  • How-To
  • Design
  • Tools & Materials
  • Videos
  • Blogs
  • Forum
  • Magazine
  • Members
  • FHB House
  • Podcast
Log In
Design

Low-Tech Solar

Before considering PV panels, integrate passive strategies into the core of your home’s design to reap savings in heating and cooling costs.

By Brian Knight Issue 251 - HOUSES 2015

Synopsis: When Asheville, N.C., builder Brian Knight built his first passive-solar house, he could tell that something was different: Even unfinished, the house was bright, comfortable in cold weather, and drier than the typical home. The experience made him want to get more involved with passive-solar design, but he needed two things: a few building lots with southern exposures, and a simple, 3BR, 2B plan that he could easily adapt to different sites and clients. The first he could buy; the second he had to devise. The result was his “Springtime Cottage,” a traditional-looking house specifically designed to take advantage of the sun. By altering the plan only slightly, he has built three Springtime Cottages on various sites in Asheville, each time tweaking the design slightly to adapt to the site and his client’s wishes. In this article, Knight lays out the passive-solar features he focused on in designing the cottage (envelope air-sealing and insulation, window selection, thermal mass, and overhangs) and explains the adaptations he made over the course of three builds. Photo courtesy of the author.

Building in harmony with nature has always made sense to me, but the consequences of not doing so hit home when I through-hiked the Appalachian Trail after high school. Along the way, I saw trees withering on ridgetops and tasted snow tinged with coal-stack pollution. In the middle of the woods, I could still hear the drone of combustion-generating traffic. The experience would never leave me.

As a biology major at Appalachian State University, I gravitated toward sustainable building and graduated with degrees in construction and appropriate technologies. After working for a time with a large national home builder, I set out on my own. I wanted to return to what I had learned in college about how a well-constructed building envelope could drastically reduce energy use and environmental costs. Passive-solar design, which employs a tight envelope along with various methods of solar control to heat and cool homes without mechanical means, was a natural next step.

My first experience building a passive-solar home, based on a design I purchased from architect Debra Coleman (sunplans.com) was unlike any project I’d worked on. Though I worked through the winter, the house had plenty of light, stayed comfortable during cold snaps, and allowed materials to dry faster. Seeking opportunities to build more passive-solar homes in my own town, I started designing an affordable, three-bedroom, two-bathroom plan that could fit a variety of site conditions.

A simple form

Asheville, N.C., is in climate zone 4, which has both heating and cooling needs. I wanted a design that would be efficient to heat and cool with an air-source heat pump, the most common appliance for space conditioning in the area.

The plan I came up with, which I call the Springtime Cottage, not only fills this need but has become a valuable tool for educating prospective clients on the basics of good passive-solar design. Since 2010, I’ve built three Springtime Cottages, adjusting them each time for client and site.

Knowing that passive-solar design must account for the seasonal path of the sun, I started my cottage plan with a rectangular footprint stretched from east to west, with most of the windows facing south. A rectangle works particularly well for mixed and warm climates like this one because it reduces the wall area and windows exposed to extreme sun angles in the east and west. In fact, I’d argue that in cooling-dominated climates, minimizing western sun exposure may be more important than designing for the winter sun to the south.

For more photos, drawings, and details, click the View PDF button below:

Sign up for eletters today and get the latest how-to from Fine Homebuilding, plus special offers.

Signing you up...

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters
See all newsletters
×

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Signing you up...

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters
See all newsletters
View PDF

New Feature

Fine Homebuilding Forums

Ask questions, offer advice, and share your work

Log in or create an account to post a comment.

Sign up Log in

Become a member and get full access to FineHomebuilding.com

Up Next

Video Shorts

Featured Story

Passive House Homestead on Protected Land

This Montana homestead is a study in environmental stewardship and sustainable building practices.

Featured Video

How to Install Exterior Window Trim

Learn how to measure, cut, and build window casing made of cellular PVC, solid wood, poly-ash boards, or any common molding material. Plus, get tips for a clean and solid installation.

Related Stories

  • Meet Current Energy Codes with Continuous Insulation
  • Durable and Sustainable Zinc Roofing and Cladding
  • The Fine Homebuilding Interview: Lloyd Alter
  • Turn Up the Heat With Induction Cooktops

Discussion Forum

Recent Posts and Replies

  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
View More Create Post

Highlights

Fine Homebuilding All Access
Fine Homebuilding Podcast
Tool Tech
Plus, get an extra 20% off with code GIFT20

"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Signing you up...

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters
See all newsletters

Video

View All Videos
  • Podcast Episode 72 — Matt Plans to Build a Cottage
  • Maximizing a Small Space Homeowner Tour
  • Maximizing a Small Space Architect Tour
  • Podcast 599: Trees Moving Buildings, Epic Thermal Bypasses, and Supplemental Dehumidification
View All

Energy Efficiency

View All Energy Efficiency Articles
  • The Fine Homebuilding Interview: Lloyd Alter
  • Turn Up the Heat With Induction Cooktops
  • Inflation Reduction Act: Energy Upgrades and Tax Credits
  • Passive House Homestead on Protected Land
View All Energy Efficiency Articles

BOOKS, DVDs, & MERCH

Shop the Store
  • Pretty Good House
    Buy Now
  • 2023 Tool Guide
    Buy Now
  • 2022 Fine Homebuilding Archive
    Buy Now
Shop the Store

Fine Homebuilding Magazine

  • Issue 318 - October 2023
    • Make Mudsills Square and Level
    • Turn Up the Heat With Induction Cooktops
    • The Fine Homebuilding Interview: Lloyd Alter
  • Issue 317 - Aug/Sept 2023
    • Finishing Drywall With Seamless Results
    • A Flat Roof in a Cold Climate
    • Compact Cordless Shop Vacs
  • Issue 316 - July 2023
    • Timber-Framed Solar Canopies
    • Build a Transom Above a Stock Door
    • Understanding Toilet Design and Efficiency
  • Issue 315 - June 2023
    • How to Craft a Copper Roof
    • 5 Lessons from Building in a Cold Climate
    • The Advantages of Cellular PVC Siding
  • Issue 314 - April/May 2023
    • 7 Options for Countertops
    • Tool Test: Wood-Boring Bits
    • Critical Details for Ductless Heat Pumps

Fine Homebuilding

Follow

  • YouTube
  • instagram
  • facebook
  • pinterest
  • Tiktok
  • twitter

Newsletter

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Signing you up...

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters
See all newsletters

Membership & Magazine

  • Online Archive
  • Start Free Trial
  • Magazine Subscription
  • Magazine Renewal
  • Gift a Subscription
  • Customer Support
  • Privacy Preferences

Taunton Network

  • Green Building Advisor
  • Fine Woodworking
  • Fine Gardening
  • Threads
  • About
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Copyright
  • Terms of Use
  • Site Map
  • Do not sell or share my information
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility
  • California Privacy Rights

© 2023 The Taunton Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

X
X
This is a dialog window which overlays the main content of the page. The modal window is a 'site map' of the most critical areas of the site. Pressing the Escape (ESC) button will close the modal and bring you back to where you were on the page.

Main Menu

  • How-To
  • Design
  • Tools & Materials
  • Video
  • Blogs
  • Forum
  • Reader Projects
  • Magazine
  • Members
  • FHB House

Podcasts

  • FHB Podcast
  • ProTalk

Webinars

  • Upcoming and On-Demand

Podcasts

  • FHB Podcast
  • ProTalk

Webinars

  • Upcoming and On-Demand

Popular Topics

  • Kitchens
  • Business
  • Bedrooms
  • Roofs
  • Architecture and Design
  • Green Building
  • Decks
  • Framing
  • Safety
  • Remodeling
  • Bathrooms
  • Windows
  • Tilework
  • Ceilings
  • HVAC

Magazine

  • Current Issue
  • Past Issues
  • Magazine Index
  • Subscribe
  • Online Archive
  • Author Guidelines

All Access

  • Member Home
  • Start Free Trial
  • Gift Membership

Shop the Store

  • Books
  • DVDs
  • Taunton Workshops

More

  • FHB Ambassadors
  • Reader Projects
  • Podcast
  • FHB House
  • Customer Support

Account

  • Log In
  • Join

Newsletter

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Signing you up...

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters
See all newsletters

Follow

  • YouTube
  • instagram
  • facebook
  • pinterest
  • Tiktok
  • twitter

Join All Access

Become a member and get instant access to thousands of videos, how-tos, tool reviews, and design features.

Start Your Free Trial

Subscribe

FHB Magazine

Start your subscription today and save up to 70%

Subscribe

We hope you’ve enjoyed your free articles. To keep reading, become a member today.

Get complete site access to expert advice, how-to videos, Code Check, and more, plus the print magazine.

Start your FREE trial

Already a member? Log in