Sustainable Practices

NCSP 5129 Passive Solar Design

This course counts as 12 hours towards the Sustainable Buildings & Energy Certificate or 1.2 continuing education credits.

Course Format

Online: self-paced and term-based courses available

Course Description

This course offers students an in-depth and hands-on exploration of passive solar heating and passive cooling for homes and businesses. We’ll spend a considerable amount of time designing homes and analyzing energy performance using computer software. 

Topics Include

• Principles of passive design
• Practical implications of design principles
• Integrated design
• Building materials suited to passive solar
• Maintenance of air quality in air-tight, energy-efficient homes
• Thermal mass requirements
• Proper glazing
• Window options
• Energy-efficient backup heating and cooling systems
• Computer software to analyze energy performance of homes during the design phase
• Common errors of passive design and ways to avoid them

Instructor Biography

Dan Chiras is the author of numerous books on residential renewable energy and green building, including The New Ecological Home, The Homeowner’s Guide to Renewable Energy, The Solar House, The Natural House, and The Natural Plaster Book. Learn more about Chiras’s work at http://www.evergreeninstitute.org.

Course Text

Students must purchase The Solar House: Passive Heating and Cooling, by Dan Chiras.