Make a Sunroom To Save Big Money On Your Heating Bill During Winter

Science tells us that when air heats it rises because it becomes lighter in weight. Cooler air weighs more and hence it falls. This means that the air near the ceiling is warmer than the air near the floor. The difference in temperature between the floor and ceiling causes upward air flow as hot air rises.

You can exploit the science of air flow to your monetary advantage by creating a sunroom in your home.

In a sunroom, air is warmed. This warm air enters the house through a strategically placed vent. Once the air is inside the house, it cools and falls to the floor. This cooler air is pulled back into the sunroom by another cleverly placed vent. Once the cooler air is inside the sunroom, it is heated again and the cycle repeats itself over and over again.

The flow of air is controlled in the sunroom by solar powered ceiling fans.

Solar powered vent fans placed into the vent openings in the sunroom also control the flow of air.

If your sunroom can not be attached to your house, you can use solar powered fans in your sunroom to push the warmer air into a vent shaft near the ceiling, and to pull the cooler air into a vent shaft near the floor.

During hot summer months, you can simply close the vents in and out of the sunroom.

Below is a diagram of how to create a sunroom for your home.

Components of a Sunroom (Solar Room)

Build your sunroom on a southern front.

Your sunroom needs a transparent (glass) roof that lets sunlight in. Use double-pane glass. Double-pane glass allows sunlight in while preventing heat from escaping out.

After the sunlight enters the room, you need an absorber that captures the light and turns it into heat. The place to locate this absorber is the floor of your sunroom, on the north side, at the back of the room. Your sunroom should have a concrete floor. Use large drums filled with water and painted black. Seal the lid on the drums to prevent the water from evaporating.

Getting Around Building Code

You do not need electrical wiring or plumbing in your sunroom. Just build it against your house but don't actually connect it to the house (no electricity, water, or continuous wall connections). Building code defines such a structure as a porch.

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