If you are planning on building a new custom home, now is the perfect time to consider things like renewable energy. During the design process, you may want to consider a design that has passive heating and cooling to make your home more energy efficient. This can include features like an attached greenhouse for heating or a solar tower for better ventilation. Here are some features to add to your home design for better passive heating and cooling solutions:

1. Large Window Features For Green Heating And More Natural Lighting

Adding larger windows to your home can be a great benefit for energy efficiency. Large south-facing windows can help heat your home during the winter and provide natural lighting. You may also want to add features like greenhouses or garden windows that can help give your home more passive heating, as well as plants to help filter the air in your home.

2. Keep Comfortable With Thermal Mass Using Living Roofs And Earthen Materials

Keeping your home cool can be another feature that a passive cooling and heating design can do for you. This can be done by taking advantage of features like thermal mass for the roof and walls on your home. Instead of a conventional shingle roof, you may want to consider a contemporary design for your home that consists of a roof with soil and plants, which will help provide insulation. You can also add thermal mass by keeping a percentage of the main living area below grade level to reduce energy loss.

3. Add Solar Towers And A Design With Ventilation To Keep Your Home Cool In Summer

Solar towers can be another great way to make your home more energy efficient. These can be cupolas on the top of the design of your home with windows, which when opened can help provide natural ventilation and cooling because of heat convection that causes the warm air to rise and escape these areas. You can also have your home designed with features like windows and doors that can open to breezeways to allow air to circulate and cool your home.

These are some of the design features you may want to consider to give your new home passive heating and cooling. If you are ready to start building a new green home that costs less to heat and cool, contact a home design service like home design by Thurber Home Plans and talk with them about passive design features to reduce your heating and cooling costs.

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