Every home collects solar energy. Sunlight falls on the house, some passing through windows and skylights where it is absorbed by roof and walls. Sunlight can help to heat a house in cold weather, but it can overheat the house in warm weather.
In Building a Passive Solar Home students design a home to take advantage of its natural surroundings and to manage or lessen the disadvantages of its environment. In this largely student-paced activity, students “build” a passive solar home using paper, markers, tape, and pipe cleaners.