OM Solar homes are environmentally interactive , avoiding the heavy reliance on machinery and fossil-energy consumption that is typical of conventional dwellings. This system's distinctive features include a control unit , installed under the roof, that channels outdoor, solar-heated air from a roof collector duct through an internal vertical duct to a heat storing concrete slab , located under the ground floor, for heat distribution throughout the house. In cooling mode, the system expels hot air to the outdoors and cools down the house by the same basic means of air intake and internal air circulation combined with hot air exhaust. The OM Solar system allows occupants to enjoy, indoors, continuous fresh air circulation at comfortable temperatures. The full benefits of OM Solar's environmentally interactive system are obtained automatically around the clock , with manual adjustments possible at any time and continuous performance provided even during extended absences from the home.
Energy savings are very significant.
Research from the OM Institute indicates that depending on the location, a household's entire energy needs can be met using the OM Solar system and a complementary installation of photovoltaic roof panels for solar-generated electricity. More than 20,000 residential and institutional buildings incorporating the OM Solar system have been built, not only in Japan but also abroad. For a statement about the OM Solar system by its originator, the architect Akio Okumura , click here .