Principles of Passive

Systems
Passive Systems
 sistem pasif yaitu
menggunakan sumber
energi hanya tersedia
secara lokal untuk
memenuhi kebutuhan
energy.

 Dalam operasionaknya
tanpa menggunakan
peralatan mekanik seperti
kipas, dan hanya
mengandalkan proses
konveksi dan induksi
 The basic idea of passive design is to allow in daylight,
heat and airflow only when they are most beneficial, and
to exclude them when they are not. This includes the
storage of ambient energies where possible, for
distribution later when there may be greater need.
 The full range of passive techniques includes:
 orientation of the building,
 appropriate amounts of fenestration and shading,
 an efficient envelope,
 maximum use of daylighting and
 the appropriate level of thermal mass,
 as well as the use of renewable resources in preference to non-
renewable.
 More conventional systems using fans and pumps can
be used where a small initial energy input can be used to
yield a relatively high output. This includes technologies
such as evaporative cooling units and heat pumps.
 Major Principles
Good passive design for thermal comfort is based on the following
six major principles:
 Orientation of frequently used areas towards the equator (north
in the southern hemisphere, south in the northern hemisphere),
to allow maximum sunshine when it is needed for warmth, and
to more easily exclude the sun's heat when it is not.
 Glazing used to trap the sun's warmth inside a space when it is
needed, with adequate shading and protection of the building
from unwanted heat gain or heat loss.
 Thermal mass to store the heat from the sun when required,
and provide a heat sink when the need is for cooling.
 Insulation to reduce unwanted heat losses or heat gains
through the roof, walls, doors, windows and floors.
 Ventilation to provide fresh air and capture cooling breezes.
 Zoning of internal spaces to allow different thermal
requirements to be compartmentalized when required.
Orientation
 Buildings should be planned in such a
way that benefit is obtained from
shaded indoor and outdoor living
areas when the weather is hot and
sunny indoor and outdoor areas with
wind protection when the weather is
cold.
 Building should also be oriented to
maximize or minimize exposure to
prevailing wind direction.
 If there is a conflict, thermal
orientation comes first.
 Interior spaces should be arranged to
take advantage of the prevailing
climates.
 Cold

Temperate

Arid

Tropical

Solar path Sun Shade

Insolation Sun Requirement
Requiring shade Analysis
During Winter

Klaus Daniels, The Technology of Ecological Building

Cold

1:1

18○
Temperate

1:1.6

Arid 25○

1:2

5○
Tropical

1:3

Building Form Orientation Placement of

(passive system) Building Mass
Orientation for
Glazing
 Windows, glass doors, panels and
skylights play a crucial role in
admitting heat and light, and can
have a significant impact on
energy consumption.
 They are also the most difficult
parts of the building envelope to
adequately insulate.
 If not designed correctly they can
allow substantial unwanted heat
transfer between the interior and
the outdoors.
 If designed correctly, they will
help maintain year-round comfort
levels in your home.
 Single glazing offers little resistance to the passage of
heat. The small amount of insulation that single glazing
does provide is actually due to thin films of still air that
exist next to the glass.

 Double-glazing offers much better insulation. It

comprises two panes of glass with a sealed space
between. The space is filled with air or an inert gas with
better insulating properties than glass (U-Value).

 A low cost alternative to conventional double-glazing is

to use a thin, flexible, transparent polyethylene
membrane in place of the inner pane of glass. The
membrane is attached to the window frame using a high
quality, transparent tape and shrunk taut using a
hairdryer.
 Reflective glass has either a vacuum-deposited metal coating or a
pyrolytic coating. Vacuum-deposited coatings are soft and must be
glazed facing indoors. Pyrolytic coatings are hard and durable and
can be glazed facing outdoors. Where glare may annoy neighbours,
reflectivity should be kept below 15 to 20 percent.

 Spectrally selective glazing is commonly used for cooling climates

or for westerly elevations where solar control and natural lighting are
a priority. Spectrally selective glazing maximises light transmission
while simultaneously reflecting unwanted solar radiation (UV and
near infrared). Spectrally selective coatings can also have low
emissivity.

 Low emissivity (low-e) glass has a coating that allows short

wavelength energy (daylight) from the sun to pass into the house
but reduces the amount of the long wavelength energy (infrared
heat) that can escape through the window. That is why this type of
glass is often called a Ôheat mirror'.

 Polymers are used instead of glass in some applications, such as

translucent glazing and skylights. Plastic glazings may also be
included in composite laminates to improve impact resistance or
within double glazing to improve insulation.
 Light transmittance
 Good window design and location maximises natural lighting. Bright,
naturally lit homes promote health and well-being and reduce the need for
electric lighting.
 Natural light provides good colour rendition and skin tones and is preferred
by most indoor plants.
 The visible transmittance (VT) of a window is a measure of the amount of
visible light transmitted through the glass. The VT for a particular window
can be found at the bottom of the WERS rating label.
 Choose glass that generally has a VT of at least 0.5 (50 percent) to
preserve natural lighting.
 A high VT is generally desirable to maximise daylight and view but this
must be balanced against the need to control solar gain and glare in hot
climates.
 Windows with special multi layer films are available that can maximise VT
while reducing solar gain.
 Diffuse lighting (as opposed to direct sunlight) is generally the best for
providing good uniform illumination over a room and avoiding glare.
 Skylights are an excellent way to provide natural day lighting for a room,
particularly in cooling climates where shading and other passive design
elements can reduce light transmittance through windows. Conventional
skylights can let in too much heat and light, but new designs (such as
angular-selective skylights) can be a very efficient way to light a room.
 Summary
 Selection of windows is an important element of
passive design.
 Glass is a good conductor of heat and also
allows radiant heat to pass through freely.
 When there is a temperature difference between
inside and outside, heat is lost or gained through
the window frame and glazing.
 While this can be used to your advantage with
careful passive design, it is a big liability if
overlooked
 Thermal Mass
 Thermal mass is the ability of a material to
absorb heat energy.
 A lot of heat energy is required to change the
temperature of high density materials like
concrete, bricks and tiles. They are therefore
said to have high thermal mass.
 Lightweight materials such as timber have
low thermal mass.
 Out Door Temperature
Air Temperature

Light timber-framed building

Heavy building with

external insulation
Heavy building set
into and partially
covered with earth
Time of Day
 Design considerations

 Where mass is used for warmth, it should be exposed

to incident solar radiation.
 Buildings may be preheated using electric or hot water
tubing embedded in the mass (mostly concrete floors).
 Where mass is required for cooling, it is better placed in a
shaded zone.
 Buildings may be pre-cooled using night-purge ventilation
(opening the building up to cool breezes throughout the night),
although this requires significant amounts of exposed mass,
and may be necessary only at certain times of the year.
 Thermal mass is particularly beneficial where there is a big
difference between day and night outdoor temperature.
Bulk Insulation  Bulk insulation mainly resists
the transfer of conducted and
converted heat, relying on
pockets of trapped air within its
structure. Its thermal resistance
is essentially the same
regardless of the direction of heat
flow through it.

 Bulk insulation includes materials

such as glass fiber, wool,
cellulose fiber, polyester and
polystyrene. All products come
with one material R-value for a
given thickness.
Reflective  Reflective insulation mainly
resists radiant heat flow due to its
Insulation high reflectivity and low emissivity
(ability to re-radiate heat). It relies
on the presence of an air layer of
at least 25mm next to the shiny
surface.
 The thermal resistance of
reflective insulation varies with the
direction of heat flow through it.

 Reflective insulation is usually

shiny aluminium foil laminated
onto paper or plastic and is
available as sheets (sarking),
concertina-type batts and multi-
cell batts. Together these
products are known as reflective
foil laminates or 'RFL'.
Ventilation
 Ventilation
 Ventilation can be simply described as air
circulation. This is the extraction of stale,
overheated and contaminated air, and the
supply and distribution of fresh air in amounts
necessary to provide healthy and comfortable
conditions for the occupants of the space being
ventilated.
 Ventilation vs air movement
 Ventilation 
 Natural ventilation
 Mechanical ventilation (fan)
 Natural ventilation
 Sufficient air movement throughout the room or
building to prevent the formation of pockets of
stale air.
 Sufficient fresh air supply and foul air exhaust to
limit the level of air pollution from all sources in
the building, including humidity.
 Reduction of air temperature, within the limits set
by the climate, by the removal of heat generated
within the building or supplied by the sun.
 Ventilation (Summary)
 Providing ventilation is an important function of windows. The
ventilation depends on physical characteristics such as the
placement of the windows, the opening size and the frame type.
 Cross ventilation is about five times as effective as single-sided
ventilation at encouraging air movement through the house.
Positioning windows to provide cross ventilation is the most effective
way to provide ventilation. However, it is important to balance the
need for ventilation in summer against air leakage and winter heat
loss.
 Choose the best opening style to achieve ventilation appropriate for
your climate.
 Openable, hinged windows provide ventilation through the full
window area.
 Louvre windows allow 100 percent opening area. They cannot be
easily double glazed and are less airtight. They are most useful in
cooling climates where air conditioning is not used and should be
avoided in heating and mixed climates - especially where exposed
to high winds.
 Mechanical Ventilation
 They operate irrespective of internal temperature and
external winds.
 They can be more easily and accurately controlled.
 They can often be used for either extract or intake, and
therefore cater for a wider variety of winter and summer
conditions more easily.
 On extract much smaller inlet openings are necessary in
building structures for air replacement, due to the greater
suction pressure provided by a fan.
 On intake they give positive air movement for relief from
radiant heat, can incorporate filters for use in dusty
atmospheres, and heaters if required during cold
weather to augment the normal heating system of the
building.
 Zoning
 Substantial savings can be made through proper zoning.
Rooms requiring heating such as dining areas can be
heated without having to include less frequently used
rooms such as hallways, bathrooms or bedrooms. The
following strategies could be incorporated into the design
to allow for zoning in winter:
 Air locks to the main entries to the building (for example,
entry, laundry).
 Similar activity rooms grouped together (for example,
bedroom zone, living zone, wet or bathroom zone).
 Grouped areas need to be sealed with tight fitting seals
to all four sides of the door.
 Unoccupied spaces such as hallway, storage,
bathrooms, laundry etc., can be arranged to be used as
thermal buffer spaces.
Cold

Temperate

Arid

Tropical
Cold

1:1

18○
Temperate

1:1.6

Arid 25○

1:2

5○
Tropical

1:3

Building Form Orientation Placement of

(passive system) Building Mass