Hyder Residence
The Answer Comes Up Every Morning
Passive Solar requires only one moving part, the Earth Revolving around the Sun
The Hyder Residence - 1976
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Passive Solar and Energy Efficient Features
- WSW Facing Double Pane Glass.
- South Facing clear story
- Passive Solar Water Heating
- R32 Fiber Glass Insulation in the Roof.
- R16 Fiber Glass Insulation in Exterior Walls.
- Overhang to Shade summer sun.
The first Passive Solar house I designed and built.
We used a variation on the Trombe Wall, behind the double pane glass is a three foot
space that can be used as a green house. The interior wall is an adobe heat sink.
The wall is vented high and low to create a natural convection, which works very well.
I was very excited to see it function; the day we got the place closed in I gathered a
good hand full of dirt from the green house and went into the first bedroom and dumped
the dirt on the floor in front of one of the vents. The dust cloud was sucked through the
vent to the geeenhouse side and very shortly it was being pulled though the upper vent,
back into the bedroom.
The lot did not allow us a true Southen exposure, more WSW, but the results were more
than I expected. I arrived one morning and the outside temprature was 19 dregrees but
the temprature in the bedrooms was 69 degrees. The house did not have the heater connected
nor was it sealed up tight.