new homes & siting

Be careful when considering the position of your new house on the lot you have or intend to buy.

That position should allow passive solar techniques (and also natural ventilation, namely in temperate and hot climates).

Selecting a lot

Be aware when selecting a lot to build your new home. Its orientation and size is important for solar access. The proximity and the height of the surrounding buildings should also be considered.

Solar access

A good lot should allow solar access to the south (in the northern hemisphere) or north (in the southern hemisphere) of the house in order to get winter sun entry… The lot should also have a proper slope, to favor solar access.

Tree coverage and the control of their height (to get shading or to avoid too much shading) should also be considered, for the same reasons.

Orientation and siting

To get energy savings and comfort, your new home should be sited with the daytime living areas facing South (Northern hemisphere) or North (Southern hemisphere), with the larger part of the windows surface located in it. The longer axis of the house should run east-west.

Variations on this basic and ideal orientation has a small impact as long as they don’t surpass 30 degrees to the east-west of true south (north, in the southern hemisphere).

The surrounded landscape should include deciduous trees, to provide sunshine during winter (making the house warmer) and shade during the summer (making the home cooler).

Overshading from Neighboring buildings

To prevent over-shading from neighbor buildings, the home should be sufficiently distant from them (at least 6 meters from a single storey building to the south (or north, in the southern hemisphere) and at least 11 meters from a double storey one).

Note:
Skylights are also a good mean to get day-lighting. See: Daylighting basics and Skylight basics.