In the Solar Dog House
Does your dog cock his head with concern when you open your electricity bill? Maybe Fido wants to help you go green! Its true, you can build a solar dog house to harness the free power of the sun and keep your best friend warm.
What will they think of next?
There are several ways that you can employ solar technology in a dog house design. Perhaps the easiest is to construct a passive solar dog house. No solar panels are required. Passive solar construction requires positioning of the structure to capture maximum daylight energy, using greenhouse principles. Insulation and caulking helps keep the heat trapped inside. Step-by-step instructions to build your own passive solar dog house are found at eHow.com.
Another alternative is to construct a dog house with a solar heat collector on the south side of the structure. As described at All About Doghouses:
“The collector is made from a glass window positioned over a black water-filled mattress that rests against the inner layer of the roof. The water in the mattress heats up during the day and functions as a radiator to provide warmth for a good portion of the night. To help retain the heat, a “shutter” with a reflective foil coating on the inside is placed over the collector at nighttime.”
Solar power can even help you cool things down for your pooch, as shown in the following video. The homeowner set up a solar powered fan in the dog house, connected to a solar panel mounted on the roof:
Checking in on your energy usage
If you don’t want to engineer or build your own solar dog house, you might want to purchase a “K-9 Comfort Cottage,” which includes 3 solar panels on a white, reflective roof. Perfect for heating or cooling needs for your pooch, it also includes a fan which is said to be “tail-safe.”
When you build a solar dog house, you can rest at ease that your pet will have a safe, temperature-controlled environment to spend the day, or evening. Solar heating and cooling, whether with panels or passive design is an easy home improvement project.
Who knows… putting in a solar dog house may even inspire you to go solar in your own home. Talk about getting out of the dog house with respect to your utility bills!
Tags: k-9 comfort cottage, passive solar dog house, solar dog house, solar heat collector, solar panel projects
April 6th, 2009 at 2:52 pm
I love that even my dog can go green. I’d build something like it for my cat with a green roof made out of catnip. He’d love it.
April 6th, 2009 at 3:13 pm
LOL – that is a great idea! Or perhaps a solar greenhouse for your kitty to grow his “herbs.”
But in seriousness, its great to see people using solar energy to help make things more comfortable for their pets.
Stephanie
April 6th, 2009 at 10:08 pm
I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don’t know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.
Sarah
http://www.craigslisttool.info
April 7th, 2009 at 5:37 am
Hi Sarah,
Thank you so much! Glad to hear that you enjoy the posting, here.
Take care,
Stephanie
April 9th, 2009 at 3:27 pm
Great Site!!!
I too am a solar panel/green enthusiast, as well as an animal lover, so it is great to see this post.
Thank you for acquiring and sharing this useful information.
Take Care!
Lauri
June 3rd, 2009 at 9:57 am
Nice article.
I am looking to market products like these. Pets tend to be left outside during the hot summer months and this is very dangerous for them. A nice solar powered dog house would keep them cooler. What kind of fan is this, an attic fan?
Well, I’ll have to chedck out the K9 cottage.
Thanks for posting this to your blog.
April
http://www.windandsolarnow.com
June 3rd, 2009 at 10:14 am
Hi April – yes, it is a solar attic fan! Best of luck with your marketing, Stephanie
December 7th, 2009 at 11:13 am
Solar Power for Houses
A basic solar installation from a retailer can take 30 years to pay back and cost you well over $20,000?
I just made my own solar panel. It was so simple and looks just like a bought panel.
I managed to build 4 solar panels for under $200!
Residential solar electric systems
For more datailed information please visit: http://tinyurl.com/ygcsoay