2 No-Power Solar Survival Tips
Around our house, on any given day, you’ll probably find me fiddling with the windows and shades. No, it’s not because we have peeping toms, it’s because I’m constantly getting free heat and cooling from the outdoors.
In the winter, the first thing I do in the morning is open all the blinds along the east and southern face of the house to let the sun heat the house. After the sun passes over I will often close the blinds and curtains to trap the heat. In the evening all windows and blinds are buttoned up tight.
In the summer, we keep the windows open at night to let the cool night air in. Then we trap that air in the morning by closing the windows. And we close the blinds and curtains during the day to keep the sun’s rays from heating up the place.
I bet if you looked closely at your windows and doors there is a way you could use passive means to help heat or cool your house. You can install some awnings or shades to block the sun in the summer. Deciduous trees are another great way to provide shade in the summer and sun in the winter after the leaves fall off.
Even your houseplants can help! Block sunny windows off with large or hanging house plants. They’ll absorb the heat, clean your air, and help cool the house.
You can learn more about really capturing the sun’s heat with the DIY Solar Heater guide that is included in your Power 4 Patriots system. This is a simple introduction to passive solar heating. If you build it and install it right, this is hands down the easiest way to capture the sun’s energy and turn it into something that can help you right away.
So how do you use the sun’s free energy? Let me know in the comments!
My house was built with Passive Solar Space Heating and Solar Water Heat back in 1983- but I cannot take advantage of this since I have a Neighbor who REFUSES to cut down his 100 foot pine tree which was planted in the 1990 – This tree’s shadow block my Passive Solar from 11:00 AM until 5:22 Pm and my Solar Panels from 1:30 until sunset. There are Fedearl adn AZ State Laws whihc prohibit interference with a Property’s Owners rights to Renewal Energy Sources, there is NO AGENCY to enforce theses laws and force my neighbor to cut down his tree- In the past 6 years I have send him pictures and Certified Letters but he refuses. I am on a KW Demand and Time of Day Meter to this tree totally inhibits my peak time of the day for capturing Solar Power. And of course the Utility Company will not help since I pay PREMIUM fro Electricity from Noon-7:00 PM
With just two in the house – at last – and two sets of dishes and utensils to wash, I run my two 100 ft. garden hoses,connected together, from my deck, out in the back yard and back to the kitchen window for about an hour while we’re eating dinner. When plate washin’ time arrives, my better half just fills both sinks half-way with water that is almost too hot to put your hands in.
I have been heating my workshop for several years with a simple “drain-down” solar collector. My shop is 500 square feet with 8 ft. ceiling, so I am really heating 4,000 cubic feet of space. I have a 300 gallon water storage tank in the rear corner of the shop and connected to it is a small (35 Watt) circulator pump. This is connected to 200 feet of 3/4 in. black water hose that is placed on my south facing roof in a slightly tilted “Z” pattern. This allows all of the water to drain back to the tank when the pump shuts off. On a typical winter day of approximately 35 degrees F, I will see a temperature rise of about 12 degrees above the input water temp. This spread will continue for 5 or 6 hours during the sunniest part of the day. After the pump shuts down the heat is released into the shop by simple convection, as the tank is not insulated. Now this isn’t an elaborate system, but my shop is a comfortable 60 degrees in the daytime and very seldom drops below 50 degrees at night. Nothing has ever frozen in the shop since I put this in operation. Total cost: maybe $100.00 as the pump is a salvaged unit about 40 years old and the hose was on sale.
Nice! Show us pictures — I love this sort of thing.
Doesn’t everybody use curtains and blinds to keep the sun out in the summer and at night in the winter? Doesn’t everybody already open their windows at night in the summer to cool the house? i only need the air condition (one small window one) to cool the house a few days each summer when the night time temperatures are above 20 C for a few days in a row. No A/C needed if night time temperatures are low enough and the windows and blinds closed in the morning.
The thing that most people don’t yet do is BUILD their house to use passive solar power. i oriented by house to the south and minimized north windows and reduced the size of East and West windows. South windows are double paned while North, East and West are triple paned. Also build stone masonry walls and concrete floor with stone tiles where the south facing windows will heat them during the day in winter to increase the passive heat storage. Further, I put R 60 insulation in the attic and built offset double 2 x 4 exterior walls to increase the insulation of the exterior walls.
Thus, it is all about getting the sun in as much as possible during the day during winter and storing it inside at night.
In the summer, I put up cedar lattices over the south facing windows and keep the blinds down in the day with windows all closed. In the evening, all blinds are up and the windows open. It is all about not letting the sun in, and cooling the house down at night so it stays cool all through the next day.
That was quite helpful. Thanks. -LRC
Hello,
I did this very thing that you suggested: In the summer, we keep the windows open at night to let the cool night air in. Then we trap that air in the morning by closing the windows. And we close the blinds and curtains during the day to keep the sun’s rays from heating up the place.
Guess what I got? MOLD!!!!!!!!!! The “disaster” company stated that was one of the reasons, so $35,000 LATER, I NEVER open a window. What people probably do not realize is that mold spores enter you house everytime a door or window is open and if the conditions are right, MOLD>
Especially true in Florida….
A dehumidifier may help, but, I do not know if it totally solves moisture problems….
Thanks for the heads up. -LRC
A couple years ago I picked up a electric heating mattress pad at Kmart. It has an adjustable controller to vary the temp. Since my solar system is my source of power, this low draw item allows me to stay very comfortable on cold nights without turning on the cabins propane heating system.
Has anyone converted an old Satelite dish antenna to a solar oven/water heater? There has never been cable or internet at my home place. My dad bought the tv dish when he retired, but it wasn’t long after till the signals were scrambled. It’s been sitting there ever since in a southwest facing position. I’m thinking of cutting flat sheet aluminum in pie shapes to fit this thing. Then polishing the aluminum. Next I would install a bracket to mount a cook surface on or maybe a tank from a small water heater and run the lines into the house.
I haven’t – but it’s been done: http://hackaday.com/2013/01/08/satellite-dish-solar-cooker-bakes-potatoes-and-more/
We use the sun to brew our tea by placing a large glass jar with the tea bags and water in the south window, we also keep a 25 watt solar panel in the south window to keep a deep cycle battery charged at all times, and in the summer we dehydrate vegiets we grow.
The ancient Greeks used to position the house to take advantage of the sun’s warmth in the Winter, usually South facing. Builders can do the same 2,000 years later to do the same.
I plan to add a family room to back of my East facing house at some point in the future. The plan is to make the north wall out of brick with a layer of insulation between the inner and outer courses of brick, and make the south wall mostly thermopain glass windows. in the summer when the sun is high in the sky the sun’s rays can not reach the brick wall even if the shades are open, but in the winter when the sun is low in the south, the sun’s rays will strike the brick wall and warm it up and when the sun goes down the heated wall will radiate warmth back into the room helping to reduce the cost of heating the room. Some window manufacturers have coatings that will reflect high angle sun back away from the house but still all the low angle sun to freely pass through the glass to give this system even more efficiency.
Frank put tin foil on the out side of the black shade to reflect the heat. Use white shades. Black soaks up heat and holds it white reflects heat. Black only works if its very thick. Black blocks light that helps but check out fashion never wear black in the heat. Make sure the white shades are very shinny.
I have a screened-in back porch on my house that faces west. It is 57 in. of screen height with about 2 ft. enclose above the screen and about 3 ft. below the screen. In the fall I appy clear plastic to it and it turns in into a sun or solar room. We can open kitchen windows and door and the heat comes in the house. I use the very clear window plastic you buy from Wal-mart. It says it for indoors but believe me, it will last all winter. The screen behind it acts as a backing support if the wind blows violently and it does on this mt. I live on in north al. Never had it blowed out. Occasionally a bird will fly into it and creates a small hole or tear that I repair with clear packageing tape. I’ve been doing this for almost 20 yrs. at 3 different addresses. We also move plants from the exposed front porch to the back during the winter. I have blinds that I can close if it gets to hot out there.
Anyone that isn’t using the sun already is unaware of how much they stand to gain over the period of a year. Next tip would be to do what I’ve done. I’ve put together a portable power plant.
Where ever I go with my B.O.B., I’ve got the ability to generate power. Sure, I can’t power a whole house, but when you’re outside in your four (4) season tent ten miles from Sunday, I can heat water, make & STORE electricity, and enjoy a few creature comforts that make being away from home a little easier to handle.
With a few tips, you’d be surprised at what you can make happen! Thanks for keeping this gift from God in the focus of our minds.
Garry, What is your B.O.B.?
That is what I was wondering….what is a B.O.B.?????
Carol, BOB is an abbreviation for Bug Out Bag – basically pre-packed bag with everything you might need if you need to leave the house in a hurry. I’ve got a good primer available here: bugoutbag4patriots.com
Where did you get your portable power plant? How does it work?
Years ago, Co-Evolution Quarterly magazine had a blurb about uses of Solar. 2-3 story homes that were situated with windows on East & West sides were cooled, in days before A/C, by the slight breeze created by opening the upper windows on the East & the lower windows on the West & then reversing the arrangement as the sun was at its highest point.
They also published a picture, taken of the San Francisco roof tops before 1903, of all the solar water heaters in use.
Your landlord sounds like most landlords…..he has an investment that makes him money to pay his mortgage and doesn’t concern himself with your comfort. The other option is to contact the fair housing commission and see if you have any recourse to hold your rent payments in exchange for hiring a contractor to come blow in some insulation up in the attic space. My suggestion….find a new place and let the landlord find another pigeon.
My other suggestion:
Do you like the color pink? Do you have an electric screwdriver?Do you know how to use spackle?Can you locate the ceiling joists? If your landlord won’t do the job your rent is paying for, how about a DIY job of foamboard insulation on the underside of the ceiling? Find the joists and using screws with a perforated base insulation hanger (so the screws don’t go through the board and will hold the foam up) It is easy to cut to fit with a drywall saw, it’s, light to lift up,will not add any weight to your overhead joists and depending on your region and the thickness, it will at least give you somewhat of a break. if you are on a tight budget…. buy just one sheet at a time. You only need to put the screws on the four corners of the 4×8 sheet as it is so light!!! Every inch of foam adds an R value of 8. It is not terribly expensive. After it is up, duct tape to seal the seams so there is no added osmosis of your electric thermoregulating.If you don’t like the color of it, pin up a parchute!!!! Even if you do just your living room and bedroom, it would be better than nothing. The foam comes in white/pink/blue and it is removable so you can take it down and just plug the holes with some spackle when you find a new place to move to so your landlord will just have to return your deposit. Also, be very careful not to miss a stud and hit an electrical wire! Otherwise it could get real HOT, real Quick!
Other than some of the ones you have listed above, I have also used the sun to create a fire (for heat or cooking outside while camping) through the use of a magnifying glass, and also have used it to make “sun tea”, as we call it in Virginia. You can also use the sun to heat up water, like the water inside those hanging shower set-ups that they sell for camping. Those are just a few of the ways that I have used the sun’s free energy.
A white rock roof? Is it relatively flat? I seen people place I inch thick slabs of concrete over a 1/2 inch mesh that allows for drainage the concrete slabs reflect some heat and provide shaded area for the black shingles. Patio furniture and a non- permanent Trellis for hanging out door plants or roof top type garden can also accent your new out door living area if the roof itself is suitable. The key factor is weight and ease of access to the rooftop.
great if you own a home. I live in a tiny 1 bedroom apartment on the top floor. the owner put a new roof on.A black shingles roof. the old one was a white rock roof. they had to replace alot of bad wood plankes. I told the owner, you should put insulation in while they have the boards off. he said he could no afford i. then he puts brand new windows in his front house. it gets 100 degrees in my apartmnet if it’s 90 outside. winter all my heat goes through the cieling and my wall heater is always going off and on. my windows are open all the time and when its hot i run a fan and a portable airconditioner. It still does not cool off . my apartmnt is an oven even on days when where in the low 80’s.
Paul…if you go buy Reflectix (http://www.reflectixinc.com) solar foil and put it in your windows. A $22 roll should do it for you. It will keep the heat out of your place and you will not have to use your air conditioning as much.
I use three very large American Bulldogs, about 80 pounds each and a .45 revolver. The best security system I’ve ever had. If a prowler makes it past the two girls loose on the property at night without being eaten alive, they won’t make it past the big boy in the house at night and me with my peashooter.
Great ideas Thanks.
That’s a no braner, we have been doing this for years!
Frank–thank you….after investing in black-out panel curtains for the eastern & southern windows where we rent, we;re 20-30 degrees cooler than past years!1 We can’t avail ourselves of all power4patriots good ideas but this one sure has helped! Kimberly & Patrick Thompson.
i burn the skin on my back
Good Idea Frank, we have been doing this for years in Southern California. It would help more if your windows and doors are upgraded. That is Double pane glass windows and solid doors. Also have a look at your roof to ensure that it is in good repair. This cost me $5000.00. The inside temperature dropped a good 10 degrees. And using the shade in the day and open windows at night has saved me and my wife a lot of money. The only problem we face is when the temperature goes past 95 degrees outside the house; it is then I use the AC to refresh the air inside the house and keep the temperature at 84 degrees. Thus the interest in your power4patriots. Best investment I’ve made since I have upgraded my house.
Good Idea Frank, we have been doing this for years in Southern California. It would help more if your windows and doors are upgraded. That is Double pane glass windows and solid doors. Also have a look at your roof to ensure that it is in good repair. This cost me $5000.00. The inside temperature dropped a good 10 degrees. And using the shade in the day and open windows at night has saved me and my wife a lot of money. The only problem we face is when the temperature goes past 95 degrees outside the house; it is then I use the AC to refresh the air inside the house and keep the temperature at 84 degrees. Thus the interest in your power4patriots. Best investment I’ve made since I have upgraded my house.
We have been doing that for years. Opening shades in winter to let the sun light in. In the summer closing the shades, and opening the windows at night, anything to save money. My husband and I are both in our late 60’s. We do our own canning and our own garden.
I live in the desert imperial Valley in Calexico Ca.and what we need is to block the sun with what ever, most of the homes are not insulated for this weather i am following your advice of Solar panels wich they are not to many at homes. i have relatives in mexico just across the border and i am going to do something in the other side because of all legal and permits that i have to get in the usa is not for me.
what do you advice .
A Question.
i ask for your CD in what section is the wiring of the solar to the enfhase and to the normal energy box.
i really appreciate
LEO.
Yes, this CAN work in Florida for quite awhile, I only turned my air on about 3 weeks ago. And I don’t have a highly insulated home. Also, the old method of creating a cool current by opening the window just a bit at the bottom on the cool side of the house, then open the opposite windows just a bit, on the hot side, at the top if you have double hung, or upstairs. Brings in cool air at the bottom and then transports and exits out the the hot side. This is what they did before A/C. And also why you see the huge porches on old houses.
Another thing I do, I have roll down hurricane shutters. I keep them all rolled half way down in the summer, it does wonders to keep the heat out.
The summer trick won’t work in the South – the nighttime air isn’t cool enough for that. In the winter I do like everyone else. I am, after all “green”
Try using a fan at night. It doesn’t help with the humidity but it will keep you cool.
More info on the “free” entergy
I HAVE BEEN DOING THIS FOR MANY YEARS!
I’ve used the blinds for controlling heat and light as well. I can’t effectively use the windows for cooling because our house isn’t set up well for it and we live too close to refineries. The other way I use the sun is by turning on my black garden hose and closing off the nozzle. I then turn off the spigot, leaving the hose full and sitting in the sun. When I get done with outside chores, I can turn the spigot on, open the nozzle and get hot water for cleanup. It lasts long enough to loosen dirt and grass so when it cools, the item still gets clean.
I have always kept my blinds open during the day and closed at night for privacy. Thanks for these ideas. Maybe I’ll try them. But I don’t think it would be wise to leave windows open during the night.
My security system would not work if a window is left open.
You can have your windows armed at whatever spot you want to open them. Then if they are moved at all when armed, the alarm will be activated.
I use a Rottweiler. The greatest family dog ever. Very protective of his family. :-)
This is what my Grandmother taught me to do 50 some years ago .
For once I have been doing something right
Thanks, we do most of this, working on my solor system for the RV as we are retired and getting ready for full time
We have 3 very large insulated picture windows on the western wall of the house. We priced custom made curtains for them and estimate was over $2,200.00. Instead, we bought 6 of those shower curtains that are part fabric and part heavy vinyl. Very insulating, and the perfect cream color for that room. That was over 10 yrs. ago; and they show no wear so far and work perfectly. Cost probably $50 or so. We put up cheap skinny rods and put the curtains on plastic shower rod rings with cheap wooden slider pulls attached to the curtains in the middle of each set of panels. Looks nice and so far we haven’t needed to launder them.
Thanks for the tip(s) Frank. As the wife and I are retired and full time RVers, we already do the window and shade heat/cooling and I would have to say I totally agree. It is a very good way to save on your heating and cooling bills. I rarely use the A/C in the summer and try to minimize the use of the heater in the winter (no fireplace in our unit so….lol). We do close up the sleeping area and use an electric blanket during the winter. Warming the bed just before retiring makes it more cozy when we crawl in. We do turn the heat off when we are covered and let the body heat do the rest. Oh, it is also interesting that our silk comforter retains so much of the heat (far better than a wool blanket or quilt). Not sure why that is but it does work.
As of this writing, I have not constructed the solar panels or the wind generator but I have watched the video and am certain that the time and effort are going to be productive. I want to set mine on the roof of my unit with something that rotates them toward the sun as it moves through the sky (any thoughts?). I will also need some sort of regulator so I do not overcharge the batteries. I do use mostly 12 v lighting (yes, I have the 110 system plugged in too but I try to keep the use on that down – I do not have storage room to but a bank of batteries in order to go full solar/battery or I would do so.
I first got interested in solar when I lived in the Hawaiian island. I met a gentleman there that sold solar and did all of his home with it (this was in the 80s). I put a couple of purchased panels aboard my live-aboard boat and lived off strictly solar and propane (cost me about $15 a month for propane fills and, of course, the electric was free.
Now I have found out how to generate my own electric with wind and solar and am sure that the future will be much like the past. I am thinking I will change to a 12v/110/propane refrigerator and drastically reduce the electrical draw for that. Next should be figuring a way to do the same for the stove and then the heater (when I do use it). As I am a new-be to much of this, I want to tell you, it is nice to have someone passing on info that I can use. Again Thank you. Sincerely, Bruce
I do that all the time
Hey Thanks for that . I like all the Info you send . So keep it going . THANKS
I thought about the south facing picture windows, but forgot the south facing bedroom windows. One house I saw had brick wall opposite the large windows to absorb the heat during the day,
I LIVE IN A 1700 SQ FT BERM HOME IN SUNNY/COLD/HOT WYOMING. IT IS AN ALL ELECTRIC HOME & WE FIND IT VERY QUIET (WIND WISE) TO LIVE IN. WE HAVE A BERM ON THE WEST, NORTH & EAST SIDE. WE HAVE GRAVEL STORAGE UNDER THE ONE LEVEL HOME. ALL OF OUR WINDOWS WERE TOTALLY REPLACED ABOUT 5 YRS AGO WITH CUSTOM SIZED LO-E GLASS & WE HAVE NOTICED A SUBSTANTIAL DIFFERENCE IN INSIDE TEMPERATURE CONTROL. WE ALSO HAVE A REMOVABLE AWNING TO CONTROL THE SUN IN THE HOT MONTHS, AS ALL OF OUR WINDOWS FACE THE SOUTH. I HAVE FOUND THE USED OF BAMBOO ROLL DOWN SHADES (OUTSIDE) ALSO REDUCE THE REFLECTION OF HEAT OFF OF OUR SHADED PATIO. DO YOU HAVE A RECOMMENDATION ON INSULATION IN THE ATTIC? THANKS FOR ALL YOU HELP.
Hey Frank I do basicall you the same thing you do. I am still working on my solar panels and I of Have made some improvements of my own.
2 THINGS I NOTICED- 1) he obviously doesn’t live in Texas- in Texas the evening temp may be 95 at 10 pm. There is NO opening the windows to ‘let in the cool air’ (lol!!!) 2) WHEN IT IS OVDER 95 IN THE SHADE- TREES DO HELP BUT YA GOTTA LOVE TEXAS!!!
For many years we have planted lots and lots of trees around our house, the natural perspiration of the trees can reduce the temperature of your house by 10 degrees or more and when the leaves fall off in the winter it gives a path for the sun to heat your house.
For 25 years in the summer I always put the tops of my windows down to let the cool air in at night. I then close the bottom portion of the blind for priviacy. I guess that’s why the blinds you can lower from the top were designed, but not all blind stores carry them. In the winter I have always open blinds and curtins when sun is available and close as the sun moves I continue the process around to the next side of the house. If you do have blinds and you do lower the top window you can use the spring loaded rod and have half curtians on the bottom for your priviacy, like people who use wooden shutters.