From The Workbench - Alternative + Renewable Energy Blog Valuable information for do-it-yourselfers interested in the latest in alternative + renewable energy

I do not know how Winter treats you wherever you happen to be reading this fine blog, but here, it is BRUTAL.  When I say brutal, I feel as though I should elaborate:  We often will go 10+ days where the temperature never once peaks over 0 degrees for the HIGH; during those cold spans, there are times that with wind chill, the mercury will fall to -40 degrees below zero.  The weird thing is, during those spans the skies are often bright and clear and the sun even peeks out.  Hey, who said it was warm sun?

The question is, this Winter how do you harness the power of that aforementioned sun to turn it into some heat for your house or your garage?!  Turns out it’s not as hard as I personally would have believed, and turns out it is actually a very Do-It-Yourself thing that you can handle!  It’s called passive solar heat, and it’s entirely possible to turn that sun beating down on your cold roof into some heat to keep your garage or workspace a bit warmer during these frosty months.  The plans I found on Planet Green are basically 5 steps and you should head over and check them out, but here’s basically what you’ll need to get started in materials:

“4 lengths of 2 X 4 wood
1-2 sheet(s) of plywood (any thickness)
a lot of soda cans
flat black barbecue grill paint
low energy draw fan
temperature on/off sensor
Sheet of Plexiglas (or equivalent acrylic glass)
electric drill
1″ to 1 1/2″ hole cutter for drill
2″ to 3″ hole cutter
one roll (24″ X 10′) reflective foil “double bubble” insulation
sand (optional)”

Once you have all those, check out the 5 Steps, and get started on making YOUR very own passive solar heating system for your garage, workspace or similar environment.  This design can heat around 500 square feet all the way up to 10 degrees or more, depending on the existing insulation.

Image via Wikipedia