Unlike a passive solar home, an active solar home uses mechanical equipment, such as pumps and blowers, and an outside source df energy to help heat the house when solar energy is not enough.

To control the amount of heat in a passive solar house, the doors and windows are closed or opened to keep heated air in or to let it out.

Since the sun shines from the south in north America, passive solar homes are built so that most of the Windows face south. They have very few or no Windows on the north side.