The most renewable energy source we have is the sun. The sun provide's us with nearly all of our renewable heat sources, whether it's directly through solar thermal or ground source systems, or indirectly by providing us with the fuel for bio mass & wood fired heating systems.

As well as providing fuel for heating we can also use the sun itself to create heating in the home by taking into consideration the orientation of the building. By using south facing glazing in the design we can generate heat inside the building.

Solar gain can be useful in winter but can become a problem in summer months if adequate provision to remove this heat is not considered during the construction. Using mechanical ventilation systems is an ideal way to extract the warm air from the area adjacent to the glazing & circulating it to the north/cool side of the building to create a comfortable ambient temperature to the whole house. By using this free energy source in an air tight, thermally efficient homes it again reduces the energy consumption of the building.