How to Solar Orientate your home.
When it comes to designing your home, solar orientation can make the world of difference. In this post we will show you how to get the optimum results.
In the video we explain how Solar Orientation works and how to get the best results.
Please note we are specifically referring to Perth, Western Australia however the ideas will apply to most warm climates. If you are in the Northern Hemisphere just reverse everything.
Solar orientation is designing your home with the suns movements in mind. You will want to maximise the sun light to your home in Winter and minimise the sun in Summer.
The most important rooms for solar orientation are the rooms you spend the most time in. Other than the bedrooms, this is typically the kitchen, meals, family.
Yes we do spend a lot of our life sleeping however this is normally when it is dark so solar orientation has less of a bearing on design.
We ideally want to have the habitable rooms facing North and North East.
The reason for this is the Sun rises in the East and goes on a 36 degree angle to the North in Winter. We want to capture as much of this sun as possible.
In Summer the sun goes on about an 81 degree angle. We want to minimise the sun where possible.
The Western Sun is the harshest so we try to avoid having the living areas facing West.
South will provide no direct sunlight.
Watch the video for more info.