Masonry heaters are wood stoves with the welded steel or cast iron casing replaced by bricks and mortar. They are very efficient at warming an entire house, producing much higher temperatures from their fuel than standard metal stoves. Like all forms of heating, they have certain benefits and drawbacks.

If you're designing a direct gain passive solar home, you will need to maintain a careful balance between two vital parts: the amount of glazing on each side of the house and the amount of thermal mass available inside to store and later release heat. Getting the glass-to-mass ratio wrong will result in too much or too little heating.

One of the most infuriating aspects of passive solar design is that one size never fits all. A design that works perfectly on your site may be ineffective two miles away on the other side of a hill, on higher ground, or in a rural area.

With that in mind, regional adjustments are not too difficult. The basic design can stay much the same in areas with similar climate, but you will have to adjust four factors:

Direct gain passive solar homes have many advantages and disadvantages compared to other approaches. Historically, the first direct gain homes were often a complete mess, because the designers had little understanding of the need to balance things like solar glazing and thermal mass. Modern designs are much better, especially since analysis software is now available to help make the tough decisions.