Innovative Solar Designs for Tomorrow's Buildings

Task 13, Advanced Solar Low Energy Buildings, set out to encourage innovation and experimentation with new solar building technologies to minimize or even eliminate the use of purchased energy in residential buildings. Thirteen solar, low-energy buildings have been built and two others are under construction. The monitoring results collected so far from these houses show that it is possible to drastically reduce purchased energy while maintaining a comfort level that is appropriate for the particular country. The calculated total annual purchased energy for these houses, for all end uses, averages only 45 kWh/m2. This is about 20% of the energy purchased in traditional houses today. A final report detailing the monitoring results and innovative solar thermal technologies and strategies used in the houses will be available in 1996.

The houses in the Task reflect diverse cultures in design and construction, and represent extremes in climate, ranging from very cold, in Scandinavia and Canada, to quite warm, in parts of the United States and Italy. The following photographs show the variety in size and type of houses included in the Task.

For more information on Task 13, contact the Operating Agent, Anne Grete Hestnes.