Green Architecture by Designing Solar Housing

Designing houses to need very little energy was important during the beginning of the 20th century, became irrelevant as oil and gas became plentiful and inexpensive in mid century, but today again has a high priority. The most common heat source in cities was an oil or kerosene stove. Some urban houses had the luxury of coal-fired central heating, though here, too, for reasons of economy, not all rooms were necessarily heated. At this time, however, much of the population lived in rural areas and wood was the most common heating source. During World War II house building went through a dormant phase. After the war energy prices fell to record low prices. Central air conditioning led to a decoupling of architecture from climate. Low energy buildings were no longer a topic. Now, in the beginning of the 21st century, there is a growing recognition that using a non-renewable energy source will result in its depletion. Passive and active solar housing was instantly a national priority! National competitions were held, test houses and test cells were built to validate computer models, and handbooks were written. In the near future, the most noteworthy development is likely not to be a technical breakthrough, but a market breakthrough. It is now a good time to plan low energy houses. The topic of sustainability is part of the public consciousness. Substituting renewable energy for expensive fossil fuel-produced energy will help to sell houses as energy prices continue to rise.