# What to call a heat collecting room?



## meanwhile (Dec 13, 2007)

We just finished a new room/porch on the front of the house. The design was based on our experiments for the past 3 years with the front porch. Some of you might recall my posts about us putting cardboard on the porch floor and clear shower curtains over the screens - which worked better than I ever would have thought. 

Now, we added to the size of the porch (a whole new roof had to go on the house creating the opportunity to re-build the porch!), insulated the floor, poured a thick cement pad over which we laid thick Field Stone. We built a corner wall (12 feet wide by 8 feet high) out of stone, also insulated, and set a wood stove in that corner. We have the clear Polycarbonate panels to cover the screen openings in winter, painted the inside walls dark brown, the outside walls (knee wall height same as the old porch) are also dark brown to absorb the heat. 

Now we are in the process of Re-financing the house. The Banker is sending out an Appraisal person and the Bank said I have to come up with terms to identify the room. I said "Sun room" but she said there has to be some "technical terms" for me to explain the value of the room in order the properly increase the value of the house. I said "solar room" but she said I have to know the "technical terms" to tell the Appraiser. 

Sorry this is too long - but please give me ideas as to what fancy words I am supposed to be using to describe this addition. Thank you.


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## Windy in Kansas (Jun 16, 2002)

Sunroom, from this Wikipedia page under the design section would fit pretty closely.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunroom
"Some sunrooms are designed for scenic view, while others are designed to collect sunlight for warmth and light."


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## Roadking (Oct 8, 2009)

Passive solar heat collector?
SunSpace?
Florida room?
Just some I've heard and used, not sure if it's what they want.
Matt


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## mightybooboo (Feb 10, 2004)

we call em sun rooms too.Maybe a rec room,or enclosed front porch?


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## meanwhile (Dec 13, 2007)

She wanted to know the technical terms for collecting the heat and using the sun heat to warm the stone floor and the stone that is heated from the wood stove too. I told her Passive Solar Heating for the sun part and I said Heat Storage for the wood stove heating up the stones behind the stove......but she said she wanted more "technical terms"!

I just call it common sense and a Sun Room but I guess I need to figure out more fancy words before Friday morning!


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## wy_white_wolf (Oct 14, 2004)

"Passive solar room" or just "Solar room"

http://www.ecohome.org/ecolution/solar_room/passive_solar_room.htm


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## Roadking (Oct 8, 2009)

This is a pretty good breakdown explaining "solar rooms", might have the tech terms needed.
Matt
http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/Sunspace/SolarRooms/SolarRooms.htm


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## TnAndy (Sep 15, 2005)

I call mine a Florida Room


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## Tarheel (Jan 24, 2010)

We call ours Abbeys room. That's where the dog sleeps ! :grin:


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## Ross (May 9, 2002)

Heat sink, thermal storage mass, ummmmmmm


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## meanwhile (Dec 13, 2007)

Thanks - good ideas. I enjoyed reading the articles at Build It Solar too. Thanks and I still like calling it a Sun Room.


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## HillBunker (Jul 26, 2010)

+1 for Sun Room!


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## Solarmom (Jun 17, 2010)

Solarium ? (sounds "official" too!)


a room designed and situated so as to receive the maximum amount of sunlight.
www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-2505200398.html


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## meanwhile (Dec 13, 2007)

Solarium does sound fancy pants! That might work. Thanks.


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## mightybooboo (Feb 10, 2004)

I tend to think solarium = greenhouse.

I think WWW is right tho,it is a passive solar room.


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## meanwhile (Dec 13, 2007)

The Appraiser came out and hardly took a look at the room. He was sent to do only an outside photo and not a whole house appraisal. So I cleaned up and went to a whole lot of trouble hiding junk for nothing! He just took some outside photos and left!

Oh well - now I can call the room any ole thing I want to call it! 

It is, by the way, working great. It was actually so warm in there yesterday, even with the doors to the house open and the windows open to inside the house - very warm. Working just like we planned it. We close up the inside doors and windows at night, and open them again in the mornings once the porch has collected heat again - usually about 9:00 or 9:30 am. 

Thanks everyone.


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## oldasrocks (Oct 27, 2006)

thermal containment unit


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## mightybooboo (Feb 10, 2004)

As a kid my bedroom had whole wall windows facing south and west,maybe 4 foot tall...then it opened into house with Glass French doors.In Portland Ore.

In winter by 8:30 room was warm from sun,and that room really heated the house.

Also had a deep set window in the North facing kitchen,with a bush outside.6 months of year we kept our food there,milk would partially freeze at night and really preserved well.

Super passive design on that old house,probably late 1930's?


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## meanwhile (Dec 13, 2007)

They just mailed us the copy of the Appraisal and he called the room a "solarium" - so that must be the fancy pants terms. 

The room is working great. Even in the storm yesterday it was warmer out there and dry. Thanks everyone


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