| Solar efficient homes are houses which are built | | | | on artificial lighting expense, as well as heating, as |
| with solar power use in mind, and often this is | | | | the sunlight heats up the room as it comes |
| approached from a few angles at once. Generally, | | | | through the window. As long as your house is |
| there are two major ways to use solar energy; | | | | properly insulated, this passively gotten heat can |
| active and passive. An example of active solar | | | | equate to be a surprising amount. Closing the |
| efficient power in use would be through the use | | | | curtains in the summer helps cool off the room, |
| of the familiar photovoltaic cells, also known as | | | | and using artificial light in this case would be cost |
| solar panels. While these have been all the rage | | | | effective as using an air-conditioner would use up |
| since the seventies, they actually have become | | | | more electricity than the lights would. |
| quite evolved these days in their makeup. | | | | Some solar efficient homes also use a solar |
| Through years of development, they no longer | | | | furnace which focuses the sun's light and heat, |
| only produce a slow and small output of electricity | | | | concentrating it to be redistributed throughout the |
| as they did decades before, nor are they as | | | | home. Whatever the technique, most homes |
| inordinately expensive as they once were. In fact, | | | | designed to use solar power on any house-wide |
| many people these days make their own solar | | | | scale most often uses a number of techniques |
| panels in their garages as a weekend project, | | | | and methods all at once. Such homes use both |
| spending maybe a couple hundred dollars to make | | | | active as well as passive solar energy applications |
| a single panel to power a refrigerator, television | | | | in their makeup. For example, such a home may |
| and computer all on one or two 2x4 foot panels. | | | | have a solar furnace in use, be double-walled to |
| Solar efficient homes that use passive solar | | | | create a space in between the walls for |
| energy are generally designed with the path of | | | | convection heating from the sun's rays, skylights |
| the sun in mind, having large southerly exposed | | | | for passive solar heating as well, and also an array |
| windows, are perhaps "double-hulled" to create a | | | | of photovoltaic solar panels for use in converting |
| passive solar-heated envelope, and may have | | | | sunlight into usable electricity. Any home using |
| many double-paned skylight windows to create a | | | | both active and passive solar power extraction |
| sort of "greenhouse" warmth to heat the home in | | | | methods to provide power for the house, and |
| the colder months. Generally, any home can | | | | utilizing some of the many ways of each, both |
| benefit from passive solar energy - keeping the | | | | active and passive, would be considered very |
| window curtains open to let the sunlight in saves | | | | solar efficient in its design. |