Are you interested in adding solar energy to your home? You can spend thousands of dollars on solar panels, thin film, inverters, batteries, water heaters, etc.

But solar doesn’t have to be expensive.

If you’re building a new home, or remodeling an existing one, you needn’t spend a great deal of extra money to take advantage of the power of the sun. Incorporating the principles of passive solar design will make your home easier to heat and cool, and keep you more in touch with the natural cycles of the day and year.

Passive solar heating is older than humanity. Just watch your dog or cat seek out the sunniest spot in the room – or a shady place under the fence when the day gets hot. He knows instinctively how to keep himself comfortable using the sun.

A passive solar home uses smart design rather than mechanics to stay warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. If you’d like to incorporate passive solar into your home, keep in mind the five elements of passive solar design:

1. Orientation – In the Northern Hemisphere, the sun tracks from east to west across the southern part of the sky in the winter. Position the house so the longest side faces the sun to take full advantage of passive solar heat.

2. Windows – Large windows on the southern side of your home allow sunlight in to help warm the building. When you’re aiming for passive solar heat, keep north windows to a minimum. They don’t let in much direct sunlight anyway, and that way you’ll also be avoiding drafts from the coldest winds. In very hot climates you might want to keep sun-side windows small and open up the shady side to keep the building cooler. Many passive solar homes feature angled glass on the sunny side to capture a greater portion of the sun’s heat.

3. Shading – Even in cool climates you’ll have some hot days. And you’d be surprised how warm a passive solar living room can get on a bright sub-zero day. Window shades, curtains and awnings keep the sunlight from overheating your passive solar home on sunny days. With the sun higher in the sky in the summer, awnings and roof over-hangs alone can often effectively cut the solar heat in the summer.

4. Insulation – In passive solar design, you want to let the sun’s heat in through windows, and then keep it from escaping. It’s essential to have plenty of insulation wherever you don’t have windows – especially in the roof. It’s also a good idea to have insulated shades or curtains to help prevent heat loss at night.

5. Thermal mass – the biggest problem with passive solar heat is that you only get it when the sun is shining. It’s important to include heat-retaining material in your home’s passive solar design. Materials like stone or concrete soak up the heat when it’s plentiful and help keep the home from overheating when it’s warm. They also act as a heat “battery,” slowly releasing heat as the building cools. It’s especially good to locate these materials where the sun will hit them, like in the floor.

Cultures around the world have used passive solar design for thousands of years to keep their buildings warmer in winter and cooler in summer. You can, too! It’s a smart way to build energy-efficiency right into the structure of your home.

“Green” seals of approval are slapped on dishwashers, heat pumps, light bulbs and entire buildings. So why not the outdoors?

As of Thursday, even open-air spaces — from parks and parking lots to corporate and college campuses — will have their own environmental rating system.

“The recognition of the need to address climate change and sustainability is going up and up,” says Nancy Somerville, CEO of the American Society of Landscape Architects, who worked with the U.S. Botanic Garden in Washington, D.C., and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at the University of Texas-Austin to create the first national rating system for sustainable landscapes.

Until now, the most comprehensive guidelines and sought-after environmental ratings were for buildings. A Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification by the U.S. Green Building Council can qualify builders and cities for tax credits. Now that the nation is embracing all things green to save money and natural resources, a LEED rating also brings marketing cachet to a project.

This seems like an idea whose time has come.  Maybe all those fertilizer-slurping green lawns will be a thing of the past.  Read more in the full article.

Green homes are gentle on the environment and save energy for the home owner. This video gives a great introduction to green homes and green building practices.

Green building is when you build with environmentally sustainable building materials and practices. Green building materials include rapidly renewable plant materials such as bamboo and straw, lumber from forests certified to be sustainably managed, recycled metal, ecology blocks, dimension stone, recycled stone, and other products that are reusable, non-toxic, renewable, and/or recyclable.

Other materials often considered  green include linoleum, wool, panels made from paper flakes, vermiculite, compressed earth block, adobe, baked earth, rammed earth, clay, flax linen, hemp, sisal, seagrass, coconut, cork, expanded clay grains, wood fiber, sand stone, and some forms of concrete (including self-healing concrete).  Green building helps people and the planet in many different ways. We can divide the benefits of green building into four categories: health benefits, environmental benefits, social benefits, and monetary benefits (or bottom line benefits).

Health Benefits of Green Building

Building with non-toxic materials reduces the risks of disease and illnesses normally associated with the construction of traditional buildings: and the health risks associated with living in such structures. Carpeting adhesives, paint, and other modern construction materials can produce gasses that are harmful to humans and animals.  Some central heating and cooling systems can trap these harmful emissions, and other systems may actually release chemicals into the air. Doing away with asbestos, lead-based paint, radon gas, and other such culprits goes a long way towards extending the healthy lifespan of residents and construction workers alike.

Environmental Benefits of Green Building

The way electricity is produced and distributed is one of the main causes of air pollution and harmful greenhouse gas emissions.  Much electricity in the U.S., for example, is produced by coal-fired power plants. Residing in a green dwelling can reduce your impact on the environment by up to 60% according to Building Environmental Science & Technology.

Social Benefits of Green Building

Because most of the raw materials that wealthy countries use come from smaller developing countries, the diplomatic relationships between first-world nations and the rest of the world have been terribly strained. Demonstrating a renewed commitment to sustainable living for all people, everywhere on earth goes a long way to mend these burning bridges.

Bottom-Line Benefits of Green Building (money and finances)

Initial design and construction costs are only the first part of a building project’s costs. It is also important to consider  operating, maintenance, repair, and replacement costs; as well as social and environmental costs (such as infrastructure, transportation, outside air emissions) and even employee productivity costs. Building green may cost more money in the short run, but those up-front costs more than make up for themselves in long-term savings.