PV Gap

Jack Said:

How do you keep a solar house cool in the summer and warm in the winter?

We Answered:

A house with a solar electric system powers the electricity of the house. It doesn't, specifically, need to be focused on the heating or cooling. It just feeds electricity into your house, which could be along with the utility electricity. Nothing in the house needs to change.

Thelma Said:

how do you position a solar house in a uniformly forested area around boston, massachusetts?

We Answered:

I recommend that you check into the state's fire codes. They might require up to 100 feet of clear space around your building. I wasn't able to find the relevant info online. The state's website merely lists the phone number of the State House Bookstore, (617) 727-2834, for all questions about almost anything.

Most solar houses are designed to let in maximum light from the south in winter while shading the south side in summer. However, different designs work in different climates. They are often tailored to the latitude.

P.S.: That guy who calls himself Yahoo!Answers is just some unofficial joker who found a loophole in Y!A's user name filter.

Russell Said:

In a passive solar house, the sun heats water stored in barrels to a temperature of 38°C.The stored energy is

We Answered:

We have to determine the heat capacity of one barrel and divide the total heat required [ 2.4E+8J ]over that number.
The heat capacity per barrel is
Q(barrel)= m Cp (T2-T1)
Q(barrel)= pV Cp (T2-T1) since Cp=4181.3 kJ/kg K

Q(barrel)= 1E+3 x 0.16 4181.3 (38 - 21)=
Q(barrel)= 11 E+6 J

Number of barrels= 2.4E+8/11.4 E+6 = 21 barrels

Lori Said:

is it a good idea to wrap my solar house project w/ tin foil on the outside to absorb and contain heat?

We Answered:

No, the foil will reflect the heat away. Wrap the inside with the foil to keep the heat inside. But first line the inside with insulation. Styrofoam if you can, or several layers of corrugated cardboard. The air passages in the cardboard act as insulation.

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