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Figure 1: Potential for passive solar heating in the United States.Characteristics of a Passive Solar HouseThe Passive Solar House has some distinctive design features:1. In the northern hemisphere most of its windows are facing the south (in thesouthern hemisphere its windows face north). Solar radiation, mostly the visiblelight spectrum, passes through the solar-oriented glass of windows or solar spaces,and is absorbed by surfaces of materials inside the insulated envelope of thebuilding. As these heated surfaces re -radiate the energy into the interior of thehouse, the air temperature rises, but the heat is not efficiently re -radiated outsideagain through the glass, nor can the heated air escape, so the result is entrappedenergy.2. Ideally, the interior surfaces that the light strikes are high density materials, suchas concrete, brick, stone, or adobe . These materials, because of the "flywheel" effec t(the ability to absorb energy and re -radiate it over time), can store the energy for326