4 Passive Cooling and Heating Techniques for Buildings

Sun, earth, sky, and atmosphere are adequate, fundamental and renewable resources that can be taken advantage of to increase building comfort while reduce building energy use. Passive cooling and heating techniques not only save building energy consumption but also demonstrate significant comfort and health benefits, as well as human preference. This chapter introduces the general principles and considerations of utilizing passive cooling and heating techniques for sustainable building development. Seven commonly used passive cooling and heating techniques are further discussed in details. The chapter focuses on presenting general principles, thermal and energy performance, and key design considerations of these techniques.