Quote:
Originally Posted by RobertSmalls
56°N... that's awfully close to the arctic circle. It has to be tough to be passive when the sun is 10° above the horizon at noon on the solstice.
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The angle at which the sun's rays hit the window is much closer to perpendicular. But yes, the sun is above the horizon for no more than 6-7 hours, plus the rays of sunlight have to travel through a thicker layer of atmosphere. Here in Warsaw (52°N) the amount of energy from the sun in the winter is 4 times less than in the summer (~350 W/m2 vs ~1300 W/m2). I believe that passivhaus design for locations close to the polar circle is geared towards thermal mass, to hold as much of summer's/autumn's heat for as long as possible, and towards using heat produced by the inhabitants, cooking, and waste heat from electronics. "
Don't unplug that wall wart or we'll freeze!"