Design around the Sun

Reader Contribution by Staff
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A passive solar home in Pueblo, Colo. Photo by Dwight Stone, courtesy of DOE/NREL. 

One of the key points I drive home to students in my passive solar design classes at the Evergreen Institute is to design new homes and businesses around the sun. Put another way, the passive capture of the solar energy for home heat should be the central organizing principle when designing a new home.

Architects are taught to design homes around use patterns — accommodating patterns of habitation and use preference and ensuring the smooth flow of traffic in a home. In rural areas, home design often revolves around a client’s desire to capture views for which they’ve paid dearly.

Unfortunately, very little, if any, thought is given to designing homes to capture the low-angled winter sun, which can provide free heat for life in many areas. Doing so can dramatically reduce home heating costs and the carbon footprint of homes while increasing comfort levels immensely.

To create truly efficient homes that tap into the sun’s generous supply of energy for heating, all homes should be designed around the sun. Begin by orienting the house to the south, so the long axis runs east to west.  Then concentrate the windows on the south side. Doing so permits the low-angled winter sun into your home, providing free heat. Once the home is properly oriented, arrange rooms accordingly to solar heat demand.

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