What motivates people today when making decisions about their new home?
Does it  cost more money to make wise choices for the future? Are there
solutions that pay dividends?
Does the news of increasing energy cost, pollution,
global warming, ozone layer depletion or future energy shortage influence
our choice
of a new home?
If you’re planning to design and build a home in the future,
energy conservation techniques should be incorporated. Let’s
explore several basic design considerations that make a SunTerra
home more energy efficient without sacrificing comfort, economics
and resaleability.
A compact shape with an open floor plan can maximize usable interior
space while reducing exterior wall surface area.
Homes with  proportionately more south wall are easier to heat with
passive solar. More available wall and window area facing the sun
equals more heat.
Cooling this home seems at first to be more difficult
because of the greater southern exposure. This, however, is not the
case. Properly
sized overhangs shade the south wall in the summer due to the high
sun angle at midday.
Homes elongated on the east - west axis will have a natural advantage
to heat and cool more efficiently.
Most people will agree that the kitchen
should be reasonably close to the dining area. Beyond that there
are many opinions as to where the rooms should be placed.
People function and feel better when natural lighting is used, so
plan your room locations accordingly. As the sun passes from east
to west, your room functions ideally should flow with it. Rooms on
the east obtain good morning light and some passive solar heat gain.
This is possibly a good place to have a breakfast nook, a garden
bath, your office or a bedroom if waking up to the sun and a cooler
room in the evening is desired.
South rooms have good overall daytime lighting and passive solar
heat and are  easy to protect from summertime sun with overhangs.
How about a living room, dining room, family room or solarium?
West rooms will be exposed to high levels of heat gain and light
during the afternoon. In summer such gain is not wanted. If west
views are desired, as in Central Oregon, you may want to shield the
west facade from the afternoon heat. One way to accomplish this would
be to locate a covered patio on that side. Another option might be
to locate lesser used rooms on the west side, such as a guest rooms
hobby rooms, storage, utility, baths or garage.
Rooms located on the north will receive less
light and no passive solar gain. Place as many “buffer rooms” as
possible along the north wall. These could be your garage, halls,
stairs,
storage, bath, utility etc.
If you don’t plan properly, that fantastic
west view that you just can’t live without may be directly
responsible for the over heating in the afternoon that you can’t
live with. You can take advantage of that view and still be comfortable
with good planning. Proper roof overhangs, trellis, glass tinting,
window coverings or a combination of these design elements may be
needed.
South facing glass needs to be used for passive solar heat gain
in your home. It is important to distribute and absorb the heat generated
by the south glass to maintain adequate comfort levels in the house.
New window glazing technology allows you to select a glazing that
either increases or reduces heat gain and heat loss. Now, you can
choose the right window in the right location to maximize energy
efficiency while capturing those great veiws.
SunTerra - the Sun and Earth combined for
comfort! This is the blending of the  SunTerra Home with its site
to help achieve a low profile
in addition to providing energy savings.
Smart planning and design leads to improved comfort, better liveability,
money and energy savings. A home that will serve your enjoyment for
years to come.
|
