Australian Passive Solar Home

Why radiant heat transfer matters for comfort

We’re very familiar with being heated by radiation – sunshine. If we stand outside in a…
Nothing innovative, nothing complex, nothing expensive.

People often say of our house design, “It’s so innovative!” But no, it’s not – in…
All day without power… and it’s 36 deg C outside

So what do you do if it’s a 36 deg C day and the power is…
Books to read

In an earlier post I showed the classic energy-efficient home design books from my library. Now…
Passive solar home cooling in summer

Passive solar home design uses four elements: In summer, performance is most heavily governed by shading,…
HEATWAVES! January 2026 house performance

Four lines from the January data logging of our passive solar home, 80km north of Canberra.…
Are pillars under a slab good for summer thermal performance?

At the time I bemoaned their cost, but perhaps it was all for the best. When…
Energy efficient homes – why recommend approaches that massively increase cost?

Despite having been a professional writer on technical topics for about 40 years, my degree major…
Source air for night flush cooling of thermal mass

As we know, opening the house at night cools the thermal mass. But where does that…
But it *feels* so cool!

A key reason that a passive solar home feels so cool in summer is because you’re…
Not much new is needed for much better housing in Australia

I constantly read about the need for radical change in housing in Australia. People say that…
Payback times of energy efficient house features are often 50-100 years!

If you pay extra for energy efficiency features in your house, the payback time can be…
Fads and fashions

When designing and/or building an energy efficient house, be wary of fads and fashions. Many people…
For energy efficiency, window sizes and locations are critical

Windows in houses, yes even double glazed ones like these, act as big thermal holes in…
Q&A: Water thermal mass

Question: I don’t understand how your internal water tanks work to warm the house. Is there…
Rules of thumb are now outdated for best passive design

When it comes to energy efficient home design, I am a traditionalist. The passive solar techniques…
Southern sunshine reflectors

An energy efficient, passive solar house uses sunshine to heat it, and in a different way…
DIY blower door testing individual rooms

For our passive solar house in the build north of Canberra, I’ve upgraded my blower door…
Don’t think of passive solar only when you’ve finished the home design!

If you are building a passive solar house, it’s critical that you think of energy efficiency…
Curtains choices are really important

Curtains. It doesn’t sound a very interesting topic but in an energy-efficient home, window curtains –…