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Solar Heating
The concrete floor is three inches thick offering considerable thermal mass for both passive solar and the radiant floor heat. In areas receiving direct solar gain, the flow of heated water through the slab can be reduced to allow more solar heat storage. Can passive solar and radiant floor heat live together? See the Oikos Blog for the answer to this and other questions in the Lessons Learned from a Green Building Project section.
The floor was divided into small sections to prevent cracking. The gaps were bridged with porcelain tile.
Acid-stain gives the concrete an attractive mottled color, but it can be unpredictable. It was supposed to be "bronze," but turned out green.
Suns streams through the south-facing windows. Even without supplemental heat, the house stays comfortable during construction.
The entry contains more than half the south-facing glass, which also means a concentration of solar heat. A bit of overheating is not a bad thing, because people don't linger in this area and the excess heat easily flows into adjacent areas.
The solar water heater is mounted flush to the 6-in-12 roof. This reduces the heat production by about 5 percent, but looks much better.
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A large portion of south-facing roof remains available for photovoltaic panels in the future.
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