Masonry Magazine August 1981 Page. 26
PASSIVE SOLAR
continued from page 25
It was this principle of "thermal inertia" that kept the Pueblo Indians comfortable in their clay-brick adobe dwellings in what is now the southwestern U.S. The masonry retained the heat of the sun and slowly reradiated that heat throughout the cold desert night.
Consumers tend to prefer homes made of masonry, not only for energy efficiency, but for durability, beauty and fire safety features. In the NAHB survey noted above, 76 percent of the respondents indicated they would prefer masonry in their next home-compared to only about 13 percent who prefer wood.
Craig Eyman, a passive solar home builder in Kansas who uses masonry fireplaces as well as a variety of masonry materials on walls and floors for heat storage, says that his passive solar features usually add no more than one-half of 1 percent to 2 percent to the building cost. He says his homes provide 55 to 60 percent energy savings.
Anders Lewis, a builder in New Berlin, Wis., maintains that "the public is ready for passive solar." Lewis said that a recent classified ad which noted the masonry construction and energy efficiency of one of his passive solar homes drew more than 1,500 persons to the site in one weekend, while conventional homes constructed by other builders had only about a dozen or more visitors.
Lewis and the other builders mentioned here took some financial risks in entering the new passive solar home market. However, not all builders are willing or able to take such risks, often because of their size. Most U.S. building companies are small: more than 60 percent of the homes in the U.S. are built by companies that build fewer than 100 homes a year. These small companies, which build an average of 23 homes per year, are often reluctant to experiment. To offset this hesitance, a number of national organizations are urging passage of legislation that was recently introduced in Congress to provide tax credits for builders of passive solar homes.
Louis J. Helbert Jr., president of the Mason Contractors Association of America, stressed the importance of mason contractors becoming involved in passive solar construction and of the importance that tax credits would have on builders, since the credits would provide a most-needed incentive in the critical area of taxation.
Mason contractors, he noted, are well equipped to handle passive solar installations: they not only have the skilled craftsmen who perform this work but the expertise to provide the systems that are most cost-effective.
REIMANN & GEORGER PLATFORM HOIST
THE MASON'S LIFT
The rugged, dependable, safe way to automatically lift heavy, bulky materials to where you need them.
The Mason's Lift is portable, tough and capable of delivering bricks, mortar or virtually any masonry materials or equipment up to 400 lbs. as high as 44 ft. Two rugged, portable models are available with either gas or electric power to raise and lower work materials quickly and safely.
REIMANN
GEORGER
1855 Harlem Road
Buffalo, NY 14212
Heating with Passive Solar Energy
WINTER SUN
Key Design Features:
1. Glazing facing south
2. Masonry fireplace for heat storage mass
3. Vents to provide convection loop-dampened to close at night
4. Masonry floor
5. Radiant flow of heat - day and night heat source
6. Convective flow of heat - daytime heat source
7. Roof overhang - intercepts path of summer sun, admitting winter sun
ANCHOR "Hy-Dump"
Low Charge 38"- High Discharge 35" • 12 cu. ft. capacity
Power Dump
Dealer
Inquiries
Invited
Anchor
Designed especially to provide a low charging height and a high discharge height coupled with a power dump. A fast mixing machine capable of dumping into wheelbarrow, concrete buggy or mortar pump.
For information, phone (312) 247-2530 or write
ANCHOR MANUFACTURING CO.
2922 W. 26th St.. Chicago, III. 60623