The field of passive solar energy involves building design and placement of appropriate building components to make use of sunlight for daylighting, passive heating, and/or passive cooling. Besides saving energy, a primary benefit of passive solar is improved comfort for occupants.

 

The most common building component used in passive solar energy is windows. Over a year, most windows loose more energy than they gain. Advanced windows can actually be net energy suppliers, with better net annual energy performance than the most tightly insulated wall.