How a Trombe Wall Increases Building Warmth

An Atlanta area general contractor and developer, Neil Wolfe Barnett has overseen ground-up building projects, as well as renovations and additions. In one high profile project, Neil Wolfe Barnett partnered with the Tennessee Valley Authority in implementing an innovative energy saving program utilizing Trombe walls.

This type of masonry wall is positioned facing south in the Northern Hemisphere and is typically built of a dark material such as concrete. Spaced several inches away is a glass exterior glazing that allows sunlight in and traps that heat from the sun in way similar to how a greenhouse traps heat.

During the day the wall absorbs and stores this heat, with cool air from the building allowed into the air channel through a low vent. The cool air is heated by sunlight and rises to a point where it is fed into the building through a vent at the top of the wall. At the same time, the wall itself radiates heat that increases the structure’s interior temperature.

At night, the vents are closed so that cool air in the air channel does not re-enter the house. The heat that was absorbed by the concrete wall during the day helps maintain an internal space that is comfortably heated overnight.