Solar House Design

Abhay Donthi, Kevin Gao, Johnny Huang

Exterior Blueprint

Interior Blueprint

Passive Solar Heating and Cooling

System
Passive Solar Heating = Insulation
Strawbale and stone layered walls
Passive Solar Cooling = Natural Ventilation
Air - to - air heat exchanger

Active Solar Design and Solar Water

Heating
Active solar design - Use solar energy and
pumps/valves to do work.
Uses an active direct solar water heating
system.

Appliances and Other Devices

Refrigerator
Microwave
Oven
Stove
Dishwasher
Dryer
Washer
Toilets

Heating and Cooling System

Programmable thermostat
Energy Star certified
Earth Tubes

Building Material
House is made of strawbale.
Floors are made of stone.

Windows
House has fiberglass windows.

Lighting
We use light emitting diodes (LEDs) as light
bulbs in our house.

Environmental Concerns
According to the SHEET METAL AND AIR CONDITIONING CONTRACTORS'
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, fiberglass is a known skin,eye, and throat irritant
and MAY be a carcinogen. (
http://staging.smacna.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Safety/MembersOnlySaf
etyResources/SafetyandHealthPublications/CurrentSafetyandHealthIssuesi
nFiberglass/IssuesinFiberglass.pdf
)
Low intensity red LEDs leached lead at levels exceeding the limit.
California regulations say that levels of nickel, silver, lead, and copper
make all but low intensity yellow LEDs toxic.
(http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es101052q)
Air to air heat exchanger prevents buildup of indoor air pollution
Fiberglass windows
"Living machine"

EXTRA