干旱区生态环境知识资源中心

Babylon governorate in Iraq (located at 90 km south of Baghdad) is characterized by cold winters and very hot summers. Passive solar techniques could be easily adopted to provide energy-efficient thermal comfort year around. This will reduce the energy consumption and the impact on the environment, and will alleviate the discomfort of residents who have only limited or intermittent power supplies.

Passive solar design is the key to sustainable building when it can reduce energy loads using techniques that use the sun's energy to heat a home in the cold winter, breezes to cool a home in the hot summer, and simple, logical design and construction strategies. Passive design can reduce temperature fluctuations, improve indoor air quality and make a home drier and more enjoyable to live in while reducing energy from external sources.

Buildings with good passive strategies are not difficult to design or expensive to build, but they require common sense in working with the environment at hand. The key elements of passive design are: building location and orientation on the site; building layout; window design (day lighting); insulation (including window insulation); thermal mass; shading; and ventilation.