- Beyond Sustainability - The Case for Regenerative Design
- Understanding Place - Climate, Site, and Solar Geometry
- The Six Integrated Systems - An Overview
- Building with the Earth—Natural Materials
- Passive Solar Design - Heating and Cooling Without Machines
- Off-Grid Energy Systems - Power from the Sun
- Water - Catching, Storing, and Cycling
- Liquid Waste Treatment - Botanical Systems
- Food Systems—Buildings That Feed
- Community Design - Scaling Up
- The Integrated Design Process
- Appendix A: Glossary of Key Terms
- Appendix B: The Pangea Textbook Series
- Appendix C: Key Design Principles at a Glance
- The Regenerative Community Vision
- Site Assessment and Land Reading
- Land Use Law and Legal Frameworks
- Master Planning for Regenerative Communities
- Infrastructure Systems Integration
- Housing Typologies and Density Design
- Community Governance Structures
- Economic Models for Community Development
- Phased Development Strategy
- Community Resilience and Long-Term Stewardship
- Appendix A: Legal Entity Comparison Chart
- Appendix B: Community Design Checklist
- Appendix C: Glossary of Community Development Terms
Domestic hot water is typically one of the largest energy loads in a residential building. Solar water heating — using the sun to heat water for bathing, cooking, and washing — can supply 60 to 80 percent of domestic hot water needs in most climates, dramatically reducing the electrical load on the off-grid energy system. Passive solar water heating systems (also called thermosiphon systems) use natural convection to circulate water between a collector panel and a storage tank without any pump: cool water at the bottom of the tank flows to the collector, heats up, becomes less dense, and rises to the top of the tank. These systems have no moving parts, require no electricity, and are highly reliable. They require that the storage tank be located above the collector panel, which is usually accomplished by mounting the tank on the roof adjacent to the collector.