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Does living in a solar home require lifestyle changes?  To be honest; yes a few, but very few in our mind.  A solar home is different as to gain the energy savings you must be willing to live with changing temperatures.  When the sun shines the house will warm by late afternoon and then cool off by morning.

In our first home we set the thermostat at 70.  (Note: This actually feels closer to 75 as you are warmed by radiant heat from the walls and floor.)  Yet on a crisp sunny winter day the house would warm up to 80.  But this usually not too uncomfortable as now the walls and floor are cooler making it feel cooler.  But there were days where it was 25 outside and we opened up the windows in the afternoon because the house was getting too warm.  While we enjoyed the fresh air we realize not everyone appreciates such a feature.  Then by the next morning the house would again be 70.

In the second home the temperatures swings are not as dramatic as the temperature would not rise above 77 in the afternoon.  We believe this is due to less south facing glass 9% versus 12% so we get 30% less heat in a day.  Another factor is the new home has all low-e/argon windows which further reduce solar gain by an additional 15%.    This loss in heating is off-set by the fact the windows loose 1/2 the heat of a standard double pane window on cloudy days and nights.

Both homes used insulating drapes or shades.  For them to work one has to open the shades each morning and close them at night.  This is what we would do normally so again we did not consider this an inconvenience.   The insulating shades turn a window with an R of 3.5 to and R of 8.5 at night.