Passive Solar Homes
Passive solar design takes advantage of a building’s site, climate, and materials to minimize energy use. A well-designed passive solar home first reduces heating and cooling loads through energy-efficiency strategies and then meets those reduced loads in whole or part with solar energy. Because of the small heating loads of modern homes it is very important to avoid oversizing south-facing glass and ensure that south-facing glass is properly shaded to prevent overheating and increased cooling loads in the spring and fall.
Energy Efficiency First
Before you add solar features to your new home design or existing house, remember that energy efficiency is the most cost-effective strategy for reducing heating and cooling bills. Choose building professionals experienced in energy-efficient house design and construction and work with them to optimize your home’s energy efficiency. If you’re remodeling an existing home, the first step is to have a home energy audit to prioritize the most cost-effective energy efficiency improvements.
If you’re planning a new passive solar home, a portion of the south side of your house must have an unobstructed “view” of the sun. Consider possible future uses of the land to the south of your site—small trees become tall trees, and a future multi-story building can block your home’s access to the sun. In some areas, zoning or other land use regulations protect landowners’ solar access. If solar access isn’t protected in your region, look for a lot that is deep from north to south and place the house on the north end of the lot.
How Passive Solar Home Design Works
In simple terms, a passive solar home collects heat as the sun shines through south-facing Windows and retains it in materials that store heat, known as thermal mass. The share of the home’s heating load that the passive solar design can meet is called the passive solar fraction, and depends on the area of glazing and the amount of thermal mass. The ideal ratio of thermal mass to glazing varies by climate. Well-designed passive solar homes also provide daylight all year and comfort during the cooling season through the use of nighttime ventilation.
To be successful, a passive solar home design must include some basic elements that work together:
- Properly oriented Windows. Typically, Windows or other devices that collect solar energy should face within 30 degrees of true south and should not be shaded during the heating season by other buildings or trees from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. During the spring, fall, and cooling season, the Windows should be shaded to avoid overheating. Be sure to keep window glass clean.
- Thermal mass. Thermal mass in a passive solar home.- commonly concrete, brick, stone, and tile.- absorbs heat from sunlight during the heating season and absorbs heat from warm air in the house during the cooling season. Other thermal mass materials such as water and phase change products are more efficient at storing heat, but masonry has the advantage of doing double duty as a structural and/or finish material. In well-insulated homes in moderate climates, the thermal mass inherent in home furnishings and drywall may be sufficient, eliminating the need for additional thermal storage materials. Make sure that objects do not block sunlight on thermal mass materials.
- Distribution mechanisms. Solar heat is transferred from where it is collected and stored to different areas of the house by conduction, convection, and radiation. In some homes, small fans and blowers help distribute heat. Conduction occurs when heat moves between two objects that are in direct contact with each other, such as when a sun-heated floor warms your bare feet. Convection is heat transfer through a fluid such as air or water, and passive solar homes often use convection to move air from warmer areas.- a sunspace, for example.- into the rest of the house. Radiation is what you feel when you stand next to a wood stove or a sunny window and feel its warmth on your skin. Darker colors absorb more heat than lighter colors, and are a better choice for thermal mass in passive solar homes.
- Control strategies. Properly sized roof overhangs can provide shade to vertical south Windows during summer months. Other control approaches include electronic sensing devices, such as a differential thermostat that signals a fan to turn on; operable vents and dampers that allow or restrict heat flow; low-emissivity blinds; operable insulating shutters; and awnings.
Gambrick Builds The Worlds Most Energy Efficient Tiny Passive Homes
Gambrick designs and builds Tiny Houses to the Passive House Standard with makes them so energy efficient they don’t require conventional heating and cooling systems. This is achieved without sacrificing comfort or building aesthetics. And it’s extremely cost effective.
Have you ever heard of a Passive House? It’s the most energy-efficient building standard in the world. Better than Leed, better than Energy Star®, better than every other standard we’ve got. It relies on three key but simple requirements: low air infiltration, low energy consumption for heating cooling, and a low overall energy budget for the building.
Gambrick is one of the few Passive House Builders working in North America and we’ve taken what we’ve learned building Passive Homes and applied it to our Tiny Passive Houses.
We use the following techniques in all of our Energy Efficient Passive Tiny Homes:
- Greatly increased R-Values throughout the Tiny House.
- A near air tight exterior seal.
- Triple pane glass Windows and doors.
Advantages Of Energy Efficiency
There are so many benefits to building an Extremely Energy Efficient Passive Tiny House, here are just a few:
- High quality durable construction
- High comfort levels (stable air temperature)
- Healthy indoor air quality (extremely low levels of allergen, particulate matter, and balanced humidity levels)
- Predictable performance and reliability (our Tiny Homes are tested and certified)
- Efficiency levels allow for affordable net zero structures
- Cost Effective
The cost of energy is rising rapidly — and not just in dollars. And our environment is also paying the price. Because non-renewable energy consumption, carbon emissions, and pollution are all on the rise. In the U.S., 39% of all greenhouse gas emissions come from buildings which include residential homes.
Don’t Build A New Tiny Home With Old Ideas
Because when you build a home the traditional way, You’re settling.
Settling for a home that delivers high energy bills and waste. That burdens you daily with:
- Frigid floors
- Expensive heating and cooling bills
- Uneven room temperatures
- Dry, dirty air
- Drafts
- No built in sound barriers
- No long term saving benefits
Life is difficult enough. Your Tiny Home should be anything but. Consider building a High Performance Passive Tiny House from Gambrick, and eliminate the downsides that come with just about every other traditionally built Tiny Home.
A Passion For Building Modern Tiny Homes
We’re a Passive Tiny Home Builder, Designer, and Enthusiast who has a genuine passion for the Tiny House Movement. Because we actually design and build homes of all sizes, we have a unique and practical perspective on what works and what doesn’t in a tight living space. Gambrick is constantly pushing the boundaries of both quality and innovation to build the highest quality Tiny Homes possible.
Our build team has a combined experience of over 100 years in Home Design and Construction. The people involved in designing and building your Tiny Passive House are the same ones we use on every project no matter the size or budget. This integrative design/build approach means that we’re there every step of the way doing the actual work. From the first sketch to the final screw, our staff works hard to ensure your Passive Tiny House is innovative and built to the finest standards.
Passive House = 90% Home Energy Reduction!
Ultra Energy Efficient Passive Tiny Houses
A new Ultra Energy Efficient Passive Tiny Home built by Gambrick involves working intimately with our clients to ensure that their dreams, desires, and priorities move from conception to construction. Building a new Tiny Home represents one of the biggest decisions a homeowner will make. Working with our skilled and experienced team will ensure success.
Imagine working with a Tiny House builder focused only on your home, your goals, and your satisfaction.
Gambrick builds some of the finest Luxury Homes in New Jersey. We’re one of the only builders in the State qualified and experienced enough to call themselves a New Jersey Passive House Builder. We work with each client to set the standard for uncompromising craftsmanship in custom home building. We’re one of the only custom builders who specialize in modern construction techniques, green home building, contemporary homes, LEED, Net Zero Construction and Passive Home Construction. And now we’re bringing all of our skill and experience to Tiny Homes.
As a Luxury Home Builder, we also offer design services covering architecture, interior and exterior design, landscape design, civil and structural engineering, green building techniques and energy efficiency.
Durability | Air Quality | Energy Efficiency
The difference between an Ultra Energy Efficient Tiny House built by Gambrick compared with other manufacturers is found in our design and the materials we use. By designing a Tiny House to be Energy Efficient from the ground up it influences every aspect of the home’s construction. All of our material selections, appliances, lighting, HVAC, insulation, siding, etc. all have to meet a high efficiency standard and abide by the Passive House Standard.
We use building techniques that no other manufacturer uses like including a nearly air tight seal, triple pane glass, vastly superior insulation levels, energy efficient appliances, LED lighting, thermal breaks and an HRV system that not only increases efficiency but also purifies the air.
Durability
Air Tightness
Our choice of building materials such as tapes, gaskets, and lumber all contribute to superior air tightness which improve the air quality and energy efficiency of your Tiny Passive House.
Moisture Management
Our walls manage moisture by utilizing the Smart vapor permeance benefits of OSB and the hygroscopic properties of cellulose. A semi-vapor open assembly allows for drying in both directions, making it ideal for all climates. Balanced, continuous mechanical ventilation manages interior humidity reducing the amount of moisture that enters the assembly.
Energy Efficiency
Insulation Options
We offer a variety of options and materials based on the clients needs.
High Performance Glass
Save energy and increase comfort with triple glazed Windows and doors that meet the strict requirements of Passive House.
High Performance Heating Cooling
Fossil fuel free, highly efficient, electric heating and cooling systems powered by renewable energy to achieve zero source energy consumption.
Indoor Air Quality
Heat Recovery Ventilation
A highly efficient Heat Recovery Ventilation system (HRV) delivers fresh air to your Tiny Passive House while exhausting an equal amount of stale and moist air.
Moisture Management
Our wall construction and ventilation system manages moisture better than any other Tiny House design.
No / Low Voc Materials
All materials in our homes are screened from an indoor air quality perspective, to avoid unhealthy materials and off-gassing.
Solar Panels for Tiny House
Going tiny doesn’t have to be just a daydream! It’s totally within your reach, and we want to show you how. We’ve got expert, friendly technical support and a ton of options so that you can be sure your solar system will be the right fit for your tiny lifestyle.
Shop Featured Tiny Home Packages
Our most popular tiny home solar kits. Browse all tiny home systems
Not just a dream
Picture your life in a tiny home with solar. No, really. Close your eyes. What would your home look like? Your Kitchen? Your living room? You’re free to really make the space your own without a landlord restricting your choices. When you go to the mailbox, there’s never a rent check you have to send or a power bill you have to pay. You know your carbon footprint is drastically reduced. Your life is simple and independent.
This doesn’t have to be just a daydream! It’s totally within your reach, and we want to show you how. We’ve got expert, friendly technical support and a ton of options so that you can be sure your solar system will be the right fit for your tiny lifestyle.
We’re excited to help you get started. This page is dedicated to arming you with the knowledge you need and the questions you should be asking yourself to get started planning your solar powered tiny home.
We love tiny homes!
At Unbound Solar, we’ve been designing and selling systems direct to homeowners for 20 years, and we’re excited to see a new generation embrace off-grid living.
Unlike installers who want to give you cookie-cutter systems, our specialty is in working with DIY and small homeowners to customize every aspect of a system to your needs. We offer expert design and tremendous flexibility both in choosing the right kind of system and in figuring out where to best place it.
No matter your familiarity with home solar — from absolute beginner to regular DIYer — our team of experts is ready to help you design the perfect system and installation for your tiny home.
Watch: How it Works
Want to see exactly how solar works with tiny homes? We paired up with Tammy and Logan from Rowdy Kittens to show you just how it looks and what it takes to get your tiny home set up with solar.
Love Tammy and Logan’s tiny home? It’s the Kozy Kabin build from Portland-based tiny homes company PADtinyhouses! See more of the Kozy Kabin here.
And check out The Acorn tiny home solar system if you are interested in a similar solar setup.
What’s the right system for you?
What are my energy needs?
This is the most important question to ask yourself before going solar. The size of your solar system depends on the amount of electricity you use, or plan to use, every month. And it’s tempting to think that a smaller home automatically means less electricity use, but that isn’t necessarily the case!
Do you mind downsizing to a smaller refrigerator, or do you need a standard-sized one? Do you look forward to a fresh cup from the coffee machine every morning? Are you okay with an electric stove/oven, or would you rather cook with propane? Understanding your current energy use and deciding which habits you’d like to keep or change is the first step in estimating your energy usage in your tiny house.
Sound complicated? We can help. At a basic level, you can estimate your current electricity use by looking at your utility bill or using tables that show common appliance power draws.
Where will my panels go?
With tiny homes, panel placement is a different story than with adding solar to a larger home. And if you plan to take your tiny home on the road, there’s even more options!
On the ground
By far the most common option for tiny home owners is an array of solar panels mounted on the ground. This is called, unsurprisingly, a ground mounted system.
There are a lot of reasons why ground mounted systems are the most popular option when it comes to tiny homes. First, the most obvious: tiny homes have tiny roofs! You can fit two or three panels on the roof of your average tiny home, which won’t be enough to cover most people’s energy needs — even in a tiny home. With a ground mounted system you can have as many panels as you need.
Ground mounted systems are also great because you can put them wherever you have the space for them. That means you can point them where they’ll be the most efficient, and position them to get the most amount of sun based on your property. They’re also easier to access if you need to brush snow or debris off of them.
On the roof
When most people think of solar, they picture the panels on a roof. Roof mounting is classic and looks cute, but for tiny homeowners, it only makes sense for a small number of folks.
This option is for those who have drastically low solar electricity needs since you can only fit two or three panels on the roof of a tiny home. This option might be for you if you are using solar to supplement another source of electricity, or if you plan to use just enough power to keep your lights on.
The reason roof mounting is so popular with larger homes is that they’re often in residential areas that lack the space for a ground mounted system and they’re often tied into the local power grid. With many tiny homes, there’s both enough space for a ground mounted system and tying into the local power grid isn’t an option.
Thinking In Three Dimensions. Architect’s Brilliant Use Of Space In Tiny House
On the road
We don’t mean that your panels will literally go on the road! Just on the road in the Jack Kerouac sense.
If you’re going to be completely mobile, designing your tiny home to go anywhere and everywhere with you, you’ll need a solar solution that you can move securely.
From a ground or roof mounted system that you can pack up, to a trailer that you hitch to your tiny home, there are solar solutions for you. If you want to see one great example of a mobile tiny home with solar, check out our friend and tiny homes pioneer Dee Williams’s build here on her blog.
Just give our solar experts a call and we’ll work with you to figure out the right design for your mobile setup.
What are my goals?
Most people who decide to go tiny are looking for the independence and simplicity of going off-grid. But there’s another option as well: connecting your tiny home solar system to your local utility grid and selling them electricity.
Find out the best option for you below.
Complete Independence
If you’re going tiny, you’re interested in downsizing your life, the amount of stuff you own, your footprint on our green Earth, as well as your cost of living. One of the most natural ways to accomplish these goals is taking your tiny home off grid.
Off-grid systems use solar panels and batteries to store electricity and ensure your energy needs are met. And with an off-grid solar system, you never lose power regardless of what the local utility grid is doing.
Saving Money
If your tiny home will be in an urban or residential area, perhaps on the property of a larger home, you might want to consider tying your solar system into the grid and selling them the electricity you are creating.
When we talk about “the grid”, we’re talking about the power grid that your local electrical utility company provides. Grid-tied systems send the solar electricity your system makes to the grid, and you get credits towards your bill for the power you are creating.
Your Windows are essential
Secret time, Windows make any tiny houses feel bigger than they actually are. It’s the number one thing I didn’t cheap out on and made sure there was plenty of them along with finding a balance for other walls to utilize space for other things such as TV or shelving. Make sure to create a tiny house floor plan by drawing Windows in them. The window sizes also vary drastically. The common breadth for a standard floor plan is usually 1’-6” and 2’-6”. If your Windows swing, you need to draw the swing on your floor plan and state that.
You have to get practical about the furniture in your home space. Furniture occupies space. So, you need to obtain a measuring tape and measure the house furniture and yourself on it. You can browse online for multiple generic dimensions and they seem pretty accurate. This allows you to make sure you have enough space for that comfy couch for Netflix!
Know the kitchen dimensions
Most kitchen cabinets are usually 24 in depth that comes with a counter, 25-1/2 in-depth. The generic cabinet breadths are 3 increments. The upper cabinets are generally 12 in-depth and have the same breath. Usually, 36 of your workspace needs to get enabled in front of your cabinets. The fridge should be taken into account also. Do you think you need a large fridge? I have used apartment-style fridges that seem to be perfect for my space and food needs.
Bathrooms can quickly get small in tiny homes. I believe this is because it’s one of the very few places that actually has a door. The corners are the most underutilized space in most homes let alone the bathroom. While designing the Deltec bathroom, I made sure to maximize my space in there with the corners. The shower and sink are in the corners and this really opens up the floor space in there. I would have put the toilet in the corner but there was certain square footage it had to be away from the sink per Sarasota county.
A few special considerations in your floor plans
When you create a tiny house floor plan, you have to include a few special considerations. They are:
- Plumbing walls – Do you have a plumbed toilet? If yes, the plumber needs to run the vent pipe through it vertically. Tiffany is under the sink and not plumed outside. During the hotter months in Florida, I notice a smell coming from it and moisture so I have to keep the cabinet open for a bit. Hence, it is best to position it close to a wall in order to divert outside.
- Passive solar design – Window placement and orientation are the main factors of a passive solar system. You can browse online and read more details about this to get a better idea.
- Shear walls – If there is a narrow and longhouse, the side-to-side forces generated from earthquakes and winds will place maximum strain on short-end walls. It is the wall sheathing that can resist such shear forces. Hence, it is good to not fill these walls with Windows and doors that can minimize the sheathing space. In your plan, try and keep the Windows and doors slightly away from every exterior corner. It will provide more strength to the house if that is something you are concerned about.
Are you searching for more inspiration?
When you set out to design your own tiny house floor plan, any relevant information will help you. Do you need more inspiration and ideas? If yes, you can check some tiny house plans in our FAQ (click here to read it) If you want, you can also get in touch with an expert tiny home floor planner to discuss your plans.
Few aspiring tiny house owners also feel the need to learn about feng shui. Here you can find some of the useful tips on home design and layout. You can use these principles for your tiny house floor plan by adding what you think is essential for you.
Last but not least, the trick is to simplify. Always aim to create a simple floor plan that is less cluttered for a better flow of the home. You can add exciting variations to it by experimenting with the ceiling and window heights and material choices. All these elements will make your tiny house floor plan useful and robust.