Design Checklist
- The house is comfortably heated and cooled by natural means
‘Passive solar design’ means orienting and designing your house to maximise sun when heat is required, and for shade and natural ventilation when cooling is important. This will decrease the energy costs of new houses and increase their value.
Although people like to have sun in every room of the house, sun exposure should be related to how different rooms will be used during the course of the day. The kitchen and breakfast areas might be placed to the east to catch the morning sun; living areas and family areas to the north (all day sun); lounge and dining to the west (afternoon and evening sun); and service rooms and garage to the south. Bedrooms should have some access to sun, and the living or dining area must have access to sunny outdoor space.
Orienting for passive solar design must be balanced with other principles of site design, such as addressing the street.