SOLAR HOT WATER pre-heat systems fall into two basic categories active and passive types with numerous subcategories. A passive solar DHW pre-heater is also known as a breadbox heater or batch heater.

Find the best solar options for your home and budget. Since ancient times, people have found ways to use the sun’s heat to stay warm or keep cool. They built homes from clay and other materials that ...

As I discussed in last week’s column ("Resilience: Dramatically Better Building Envelopes," Jan. 4), a resilient home is extremely well-insulated, so that it can be kept warm with very little ...

(Nanowerk News) Passive cooling, like the shade a tree provides, has been around forever. Recently, researchers have been exploring how to turbo charge a passive cooling technique -- known as ...

Passive solar is pretty simple: The solar part is obvious…it refers to the Sun. The passive part means it works without any mechanical devices, added energy inputs or efforts from the occupants. It ...

A new study demonstrates a way to adapt the so-called Trombe wall -- a passive solar building design from the 19th century -- to not only heat but also cool buildings, while drastically reduce ...

Dear Jim: I feel the sun shining in a living room window and it’s very warm. My budget is pretty tight, but I want to make or install something to capture that heat and lower my heating bills. What do ...

Heating houses is a major energy suck. Behind passenger cars and trucking, it’s the largest energy draw in the United States. But it turns out homeowners looking to stay warm don’t need to rely just ...

Q: I’ve been hearing a lot about solar water heating lately. Is it something worth pursuing for my home? A: To get some answers, we talked to Amy Leedom, the director of marketing for Dwell ...