The Solar House: Passive Heating and Cooling and over 360,000 other books are available for Amazon Kindle – Amazon’s new wireless reading device. Learn more

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
Express Checkout with PayPhrase
What's this? | Create PayPhrase
More Buying Choices
50 used & new from $15.39
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
The Solar House: Passive Heating and Cooling
 
 
Share your own customer images
Search inside this book
Start reading The Solar House: Passive Heating and Cooling on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don’t have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here.
 
  

The Solar House: Passive Heating and Cooling (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: solar pathfinder, energy conservation code, compare line, United States, Region-Specific Design, Supplying Back-Up Heat Sustainably (more...)
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
List Price: $29.95
Price: $19.77 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
You Save: $10.18 (34%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Want it delivered Monday, November 23? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details
32 new from $16.94 18 used from $15.39

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
  Kindle Edition, October 1, 2002 $15.82 -- --
  Paperback, September 30, 2002 $19.77 $16.94 $15.39

Frequently Bought Together

The Solar House: Passive Heating and Cooling + Passive Solar House: The Complete Guide to Heating and Cooling Your Home + The Homeowner's Guide to Renewable Energy: Achieving Energy Independence through Solar, Wind, Biomass and Hydropower (Mother Earth News Wiser Living)
Price For All Three: $67.41

Show availability and shipping details

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Passive Solar House: The Complete Guide to Heating and Cooling Your Home

Passive Solar House: The Complete Guide to Heating and Cooling Your Home

by James Kachadorian
4.0 out of 5 stars (8)  $26.40
The New Ecological Home: A Complete Guide to Green Building Options (Chelsea Green Guides for Homeowners)

The New Ecological Home: A Complete Guide to Green Building Options (Chelsea Green Guides for Homeowners)

by Daniel D. Chiras
4.3 out of 5 stars (7)  $23.10
The Natural House: A Complete Guide to Healthy, Energy-Efficient, Environmental Homes

The Natural House: A Complete Guide to Healthy, Energy-Efficient, Environmental Homes

by Daniel D. Chiras
4.7 out of 5 stars (7)  $23.10
The Simply Solar House: Green Building on a Budget

The Simply Solar House: Green Building on a Budget

by Richard V. Crume
3.7 out of 5 stars (3)  $10.21
Solar Water Heating: A Comprehensive Guide to Solar Water and Space Heating Systems (Mother Earth News Wiser Living Series)

Solar Water Heating: A Comprehensive Guide to Solar Water and Space Heating Systems (Mother Earth News Wiser Living Series)

by Bob Ramlow
4.3 out of 5 stars (21)  $17.96
› Explore similar items

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An excellent guide for embracing ecologically-friendly living." -- The Bookwatch, February 2003


Product Description

Passive solar heating and passive cooling—approaches known as natural conditioning—provide comfort throughout the year by reducing, or eliminating, the need for fossil fuel. Yet while heat from sunlight and ventilation from breezes is free for the taking, few modern architects or builders really understand the principles involved.

Now Dan Chiras, author of the popular book "The Natural House," brings those principles up to date for a new generation of solar enthusiasts.

In "The Solar House," Chiras sets the record straight on the vast potential for passive heating and cooling. Acknowledging the good intentions of misguided solar designers in the past, he highlights certain egregious erros and shows how to avoid them. More importantly, Chiras explains in methodical detail how today’s home builders can succeed with solar designs.

Readers will learn:
- How to select a cost-effective, energy-efficient, and environmentally friendly backup heating system.
- how to preserve indoor air quality in an airtight, energy-efficient home.
- ways of employing green building materials in a naturally conditioned home.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

More About the Author

Daniel D. Chiras
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

› Visit Amazon's Daniel D. Chiras Page
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:
Inside This Book (learn more)
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
solar pathfinder, energy conservation code, compare line, wing insulation, degree heating days, thermal envelope house, thermal storage walls, subslab insulation, external heat gain, attached sunspace, masonry heaters, passive solar home, masonry stoves, bridging loss, solar availability, adjacent living space, cooled homes, solar glazing, passive design, passive conditioning, earth sheltering, passively heated, solar gain, passive solar heating, internal heat gain
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
United States, Region-Specific Design, Supplying Back-Up Heat Sustainably, Energy Star, Fundamentals of Integrated Passive Design, Resource Guide, Sustainable Buildings Industry Council, Passive Solar Design Strategies, Health Matters, Optimum Air Quality, Designing Low-Energy Buildings, Steven Winter Associates, The Passive Solar House, Ron Judkoff, Energy-Efficient Building, Department of Energy, Paul Fisette, The Natural House, San Diego, Air Krete, New Mexico, Taunton Press, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Going Solar, Medium Brown
Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:
Citations (learn more)
6 books cite this book:
See all 6 books citing this book

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 
(11)
(8)
(7)
(5)
(4)
(3)
(3)
(3)
(2)
(2)
Agree with these tags?
See all 11 tags...

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags
 

Customer Reviews

23 Reviews
5 star:
 (14)
4 star:
 (5)
3 star:
 (4)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.4 out of 5 stars (23 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
228 of 229 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Thorough, concise, and up-to-date info for solar designs, January 18, 2004
By A Customer
I have spent a lot of time researching passive solar designs using books from the library & information on the internet. A lot of books on solar designs are from the 70's & 80's and the designs lead to overheating of homes by overglazing (too many windows). Some of the more current books on solar design gave more vague information, and didn't thoroughly describe concepts and materials.

This book has it all! Very good information on all the design elements, such as direction of home, foundation designs, window ratios, as well as recommendations for particular products. The book had in-depth information on all the available heating systems including solar heating, heat pumps, & radiant floor heating. At the end of the description for each heating system, there was a pro/con list that talked about the energy effiency, cost, & performance of each heating system over others . There was a helpful chart on hot water heaters with payback periods for different fuels (solar, electric, gas, propane) so you could compare the costs associated with the fuel. In all of my research, this was the first such chart that really spelled out the benefits of certain fuels over others. The book was written in 2002, so it is very up-to-date with the most current products & concepts.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
92 of 94 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent guide for embracing ecology-friendly living, February 10, 2003
By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews
The Solar House: Passive Heating And Cooling by global environmental issues expert Daniel D. Chiras is an "user friendly" architectural guide to choosing and implementing an energy-efficient and environmentally friendly backup heating system, and thereby making any dwelling both cost-effective and naturally heated and/or air conditioned. Black-and-white sketches clearly illustrate the detailed walk-throughs about the basics of passive solar heating, passive cooling, assessing the performance of one's energy system and much more. An excellent guide for embracing ecology-friendly living, The Solar House is especially recommended as a do-it-yourself home reference for the non-specialist general reader with an interest in making their personal home as comfortable and environmentally friendly as possible.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
83 of 86 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Brilliantly Simple Solar Design Book, November 19, 2002
At last -- a comprehensive, easy-to-read, well-illustrated solar house book, perfect for architectural students, build-it-yourselfers and masters of solar technology as well -- who will benefit from the many important lessons learned.

My delight with the book began when I first saw its elegant cover. The more I read, the more I realized what a treasure it is. I was especially interested in the latest information on radiant floor heating, ground source heat pumps, and passive cooling. It makes me feel good to know that a book this full of information, yet so accessible, may result in significant reductions in the 44% of total household energy used for heating and cooling.

Chiras combines several decades of personal experience with information from some of the best minds in the field. His stated goal of producing a comprehensive and accurate book is well met. Nice job -- get a copy!

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars The Solar House:Passive Heating & Cooling
I ordered the book on line after viewing the selections in the category of solar heating. The book is clear and to the point and covers EVERYTHING I needed. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Nancy Hoffman

3.0 out of 5 stars Ok, not complete...
Ok book.

Could have used more content about solar and less house candy...

MJL
Published 10 months ago by Michael J. Laramee

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent overview
I like this book. It provides an excellent overview of pasive solar building concepts. The book was really what I expected it to be.
Published 13 months ago by M. Jandjel

4.0 out of 5 stars Gives more detail than other books
I've read many other green building books. What I liked about this one was that it really goes into the nuts and bolts more - it give more detail than other books including some... Read more
Published 21 months ago by Todd Rambasek

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Reference for building
This book covers much more than Solar Energy by including many energy saving features to build into a house. I bought a copy for both my Architech and General Contractor.
Published 23 months ago by Jerry Watson

4.0 out of 5 stars Good overview of passive solar designs
Everyone I talked to stated this as the first book someone should read to come up to speed on passive solar designs. And it is a good overview. Read more
Published on November 4, 2007 by R. McKown

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing book - quite possibly the BEST on solar building
My copy of this book is a mess. It has highlighting and notes all throughout the pages and looks well worn even though I've only had the book for a year. Read more
Published on July 13, 2007 by Jaynee

5.0 out of 5 stars The Solar House: Passive Heating & Cooling
This book is excellent and received in great condition. Thank you. - jac
Published on May 22, 2007 by Janet Constantine

5.0 out of 5 stars review for the solar house
This book has excellent ideas and descriptions for those wanting to build a green house. We got specific information and a clear view of what it takes to build a passive solar... Read more
Published on May 12, 2007 by Sd Vansickle-stong

5.0 out of 5 stars very helpful book
The Solar House presents a detailed overview of passive solar design with specific region-based recommendations. Read more
Published on March 19, 2007 by modern primate

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   

Product Information from the Amapedia Community

Beta (What's this?)

Look for Similar Items by Category

Look for Similar Items by Subject

Search Books by subject:





















i.e., each book must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...
 

Feedback

If you need help or have a question for Customer Service, contact us.
 Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
Is there any other feedback you would like to provide?

Your comments can help make our site better for everyone.


Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.