Name: ___________________________________ Date:_______________
Solar Powered House Part 3:
Objective: To design a zero-energy house, 1 bedroom model house, using only
passive solar heat to warm up the house and sustain the heat as long as possible.
Rules for design:
1.
The house must sit on a base larger than the house.
2. The house must have no interior walls.
3. Your model should measure about 30cm X 30cm (1’ X 1’). This would equal a
house that was 33’ X 33’ (1089 ft sq.).
4. You must be able to insert a thermometer through the roof and hang it
about 5cm from the floor.
5. The house must have windows.
6. Doors must be operational.
7. The walls of the house should be no thicker than 3cm.
8. Your house can have shades, awnings, curtains, or shutters that can be
moved during different seasons.
9. Use materials that were optimal in sustaining heat in your previous
experiment.
10. Your house must be designed to keep warm during the “winter” and cool
during the “summer”.
Procedure:
1.
Using the experiment to test your materials (previously) design a house
following the above rules.
2. Find an area inside that is not affected by outside light.
3. Set up the light outside the house with the optimal angle that you used in
your second experiment for “winter” light” using the following
measurements:
Thermometer
150 watt floodlight or
250 watt heat lamp
30cm
winter
56cm
summer
36cm summer
46cm winter
30cm X
4. Measure the temperature for “winter” recording zero time at 8 minutes of
“heat” to house. Then continue recording temperature every minute for a total of
15 minutes.
5. Do the same as the above for your “summer” temperatures. Use optimal angle
that was found in previous lab. Use the picture above for the distance for
“summer” light. Record zero time and then every minute for a total of 15 minutes.
6. Record all data and answer questions. Graph data.
Going further:
After heating “summer” house, how would you retain the heat over night? Set up
night time conditions ( curtains closed….) and place thermometer in house. Record
temperatures the next day.
Time
0 (8min)
1 (9min)
2 (10min)
3 (11min)
4 (12min)
Temp for winter
Temp for summer
Temp for night
5 (13min)
6 (14min)
7 (15min)
24 hrs
night temp
Questions:
1.
How did the temperature increase overtime for “winter” compare to
summer?
2. When comparing chart and graph with neighbors, which house held the most
heat during these seasons?
3. How did your house do “holding heat” over night?
4. How do these numbers (night time) compare to daytime?
5. How does the efficiency of your passive solar home compare to others?