Although the house does not always perform to maximum passive solar house efficiencies, it does provide an economical and environmentally friendly alternative to conventional housing construction.

The energy features in this home, such as the added insulation, air to air heat exchanger, and thermally isolated slab, are well worth the additional cost due to the energy savings and added comfort that they provide.

Living Room

The living room (shown to the right) could be made more efficient by exposing more of the thermal mass (the slab floor) to the direct sunlight. As seen in the photograph, much of the floor area is covered by furniture which prevents the solar radiation from heating the thermal mass.

Sun Room

The sunroom is one potential location in this home for overheating on hot days. This room (shown to the right) could be improved by utilizing a floor covering and further window shading, especially on the west side, to aid in isolating the thermal mass and cutting down on the heat maintained in the building. Increasing natural ventilation, which would also assist in the cooling of this area of the house, could be accomplished by replacing the current fixed skylight with an operable unit.

Proposed Changes to the Existing Building

Upon discussing the building performance with the owner and designer, Steve Benner, he would suggest changing the heating system to natural gas from the current electrical system. Utilizing natural gas would increase the efficiency of the heating system on days during which the thermal mass is unable to provide an adequate supply of heat. During the summer, the family which currently inhabits the house would like to add an air conditioning unit to the home. This would add comfort to the house for the residents on Boise's occasional 100 plus degree summer days.

There are several further recommendations (as suggested by the reviewers) that would enhance the efficiency of this home. The upgrade of the current windows to high-E glazing windows would reduce the amount of heat loss through the windows in the home. Also, a storage system, such as a rock bed, could be effectively utilized in this home to store the additional heat produced by the thermal mass on days that are warm to supplement the heat produced on cooler days. This would further minimize the need for use of the electrical or proposed natural gas heating system.

The Final Hurrah

Although our suggestions would improve the performance of this structure, the building demonstrates effective use of solar principles. These principles greatly effect the efficiency of the home as compared to conventional housing and construction. The aesthetics of the home are also very traditional and a passer-by would probably not notice the solar principles and systems being utilized in this structure.

This home is a good demonstration of a combination of a hybrid of standard construction techniques and state-of-the-art passive solar principles. This allows the public the efficiency of the systems incorporated in the Benners' home, while retaining the traditional facade.