Storing Heat from the Sun

by | Jul 9, 2021 | Energy Efficiency, How-To

There are many ways to store the heat from sunlight that enters your home, including stone floors and masonry interior walls. Another way people are choosing to capture that heat is through the use of Trombe walls. Trombe walls are named after Felix Trombe, the French engineer who developed them. The technique is to build a portion of the south wall of the home with a high thermal mass material such as concrete, then cover and seal it with a pane of glass a few inches from the surface of the wall on the exterior of the home. Sunlight that passes through the glass is trapped and absorbed by the wall. That heat is then radiated into the home as the temperature drops overnight. Trombe walls are more effective in the summer than windows alone, and are ideal for areas of the house where you won’t miss the windows.