A New Passive Heating and Cooling Wall

An efficient energy conservation method in buildings is through solar thermal space conditioning by passive solar design. Proper implementation of passive solar building design substantially reduces heating and cooling needs and thus yields significant energy savings. In dry climates, increased evaporation of moisture from human body causes discomfort. This paper explains a proposed passive evaporative system for heating and cooling of buildings in arid areas. In this system, a special cavity wall on the south façade provides passive heating and cooling. Misting nozzles are used to increase evaporation and minimize moisture carry-over. This low-cost system has several advantages in provision of comfort in hot arid areas as compared to the conventional Trombé wall.