New Home Orientation
DESIGNING A NEW HOME OR RENOVATING
- Maximise the amount of daytime living space that faces north, whether designing a new home or configuring renovations.
- Provide shading to east, west and north facing elevations, particularly glass areas. Correctly designed eaves are generally all that is required to shade the northern elevations of single storey houses.
- Place a suitable amount of glazing in north facing walls with solar access. The glazing area should be between 10 to 25 percent of the floor area of the room, depending on climate and mass.
- Glazing on other facades should ideally be less to prevent unwanted heat loss and gain. South facing glass facilitates winter heat loss, while east and particularly west facing glass encourages summer heat gain if not properly shaded. Smaller, well shaded windows are desirable for cross ventilation.
- Avoid west facing bedrooms where possible. East facing bedrooms are acceptable as they capture morning sun but remain cool on summer evenings
- Locate utility areas such as laundries, bathrooms garages and sheds to the south, west and east to protect living areas from summer sun and winter winds.
- Maximise the distance between the house and any building development to the north. Avoid placing obstructions such as carports or sheds to the north
- Building on the south boundary (if permitted by your local council) can be useful to increase the amount of north facing outdoor space. Avoid compromising the solar access of neighbours by overshadowing.
- Plant shade trees in the appropriate locations. Landscaping can also be used to block or filter harsh winds.
- Prune vegetation that blocks winter sun.
ORIENTATION FOR PASSIVE COOLING
- Good orientation for passive cooling excludes unwanted sun and hot winds and ensures access to cooling breezes. A degree of passive cooling is necessary for most Australian climates.
- In hot humid climates and hot dry climates with warm winters, direct and reflected sunlight should be excluded at all times of the year. In all other climates a degree of controlled solar access is beneficial.
YOUR SITE
- Look for a site with good access to cooling breezes. Ensure that landscape and adjacent buildings do not block beneficial breezes.
- Look for a suitably shaded site. Land with a south facing slope will provide increased shade.
- South is a good direction for views, as south facing windows require no shading from direct sun, or minimal shading above the tropic of Capricorn.
- Solar access is beneficial for solar collectors, clothes drying and vegetable gardens in all climates.
- On sites with poor orientation or no access to cooling breezes an energy efficient home is still possible with good design. Use high level windows and vents to create convection currents for cooling in the absence of breezes.
- Landscape and building form can be designed to deflect and control the flow of breezes or to block unwanted sun.
YOUR HOME
- Choose or design a home with maximum exposure to cooling breezes and limited or no exposure to direct sun (depending on climate). Use careful design to improve performance in the case of poorly oriented sites or existing homes.
- Security and noise can be an issue in many locations. Use security screens over openings to allow effective ventilation without compromising safety. In high noise areas early evening is a good time to ventilate the house. By night time the house has cooled and openings can be closed for a better sleep.