Passive solar design uses the sun’s energy to heat a home in the cold days of the winter, and wind (breezes) to cool a home in the warm days of the summer. In order to design for solar, the first step is locating the solar potential using the U.S. Solar Resource Maps. They show the solar potential for different locations in the United States, and are available on the National Renewable Energy Laboratory web site.
In addition to the solar resource maps, here are other useful locations for weather and climate information for solar homes:
1. Winter and summer sun altitudes (angles): SUN ANGLES
2. Location of prevailing wind breezes in the winter and summer: WIND DIRECTIONS
3. Average daily temperature and humidity swings (low and high) for each month of the year: AVERAGE TEMPERATURES
