[alkonaut]

I have almost no windows on the North/East because the idea is to maximize light and have as little heat loss through the windows as possible (heating here is far more expensive I’ve the year than cooling).

In hot and stable climates it’s probably common to not have large windows to the south, but in places where you have +30C in summer and freezing to -20 and dark all winter it’s hard to architect for all seasons. I wouldn’t give up the 4h daylight in my south windows in winter, even though they make the house too hot in summer. Shading that can be removed is probably the answer.

Vented rears for freezers, how does that work? Do they typically sit in an outer wall, or do they have ducts venting so they can be placed anywhere? I have never heard of those.

[wheresmyusern]

venting appliances that create heat is not done anywhere as far as i know. the refrigerator is the main appliance that needs this because it is essentially a heat pump that runs all the time. insulating it well and venting its hot side is very simple conceptually and is completely doable.

not venting heat generating appliances inside the house is a design flaw and does not follow passive house principles. because nobody addresses this problem, i do consider almost all passive houses to be incorrectly designed and implemented.

the reason why this problem is not addressed is because some degree of cooling capacity is usually present and can keep the house cool despite this flaw. the heat load from the appliances is relatively small and so it is overlooked -- small compared the loads encountered in old-style houses. also, heat generating appliances are a benefit during the winter, so the problem only exists half of the time.

in an ideal system, all heat generated by all systems in and around the house would be channeled and utilized correctly. we are coming closer to that goal.

[vondur]

True. These things are done in Travel Trailers and RV’s

[Someone]

You may not have to remove shading in winter. The sun is higher up in the air in summer, so an overhang can be all you need (https://greenpassivesolar.com/passive-solar/building-charact...)