SOLUTION - Case Study: Arkin-Tilt Architects, Eastern Sierra Residence, Gardnerville, Nevada, United States


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Passive and active technologies come together to create an energy-efficient and environmentally responsive home in a hot, arid climate with cold winter winds, east of the Sierra Nevada Mountain range. In this region of the United States, 
which on average sees over three hundred sunny days a year, solar energy is ideal. On the south side of the house, an angled row of seven collector panels carry a heat-absorbing fluid to a heat exchanger. The tubes then form loops in sand beds under the floor plate of the home to warm the interior space through radiation. No fossil fuels are required.

Integrated photovoltaic laminates are installed on the sloped standing seam metal roof to provide electricity for the house.
The support brackets are adjustable, so the panels may be rotated to catch seasonal sun angles and help shed the build-up of snow.
 
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1     Solar hot water collection
2     Heat exchange for domestic hot water
3     Thermal storage sand bed
4     Night flush cooling
5     High clerestory 
6     Passive solar heat gain
7     Glass floor tiles for daylight
8     PV array shades trellis
9     Roof-integrated PV laminates
10   Trombe wall warms batteries
11   Inverters connect to grid
12   Greenhouse adds humidity