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Solar Protection
Strategies
for Your House
Shading the house and the annexed spaces reduces high
temperatures and improves comfort. Shading can block most of the
unwanted heat.
Shading
is vital.
And that in almost all climates – in tropical and hot climates,
for obvious reasons, but also
in temperate climates and in the summer period of cold
climates.
Strategies for shade involve:
- Plants: shrubs, evergreen and deciduous trees and
vines.
- Devices: pergolas, awnings, solar screens and blades,
or eaves... Some of these elements are very
easy to implement, and very effective means of getting shadow. Eaves,
for instance, are extremely important. Though often depreciated or ignored, they are one
of the simplest and least expensive ways for cooling a house
through shade. They
just have to be correctly designed (their inclination and length
should be measured according to sun's path) on a well positioned house.
- House position, shape and surface: the house should be positioned according to the sun path and
local climate and landscaping data.
The area of the house and its shape has also an important heating
and cooling impact.
STRATEGIES FOR SHADING
THE HOUSE
Shading strategies may vary according to climate zones. But
there are some general ones, valid for most climates:
1
Shade the south-facing walls, windows and roof if in
North-Hemisphere
If in USA, Canada, Europe and other North hemisphere's
countries, shade should involve the south-facing roof and the south-facing
wall surfaces – the ones that receive the most direct sunlight
when the sun is higher in the sky.
Shade the North-facing walls, roof and windows if in
South-Hemisphere (Australia, New Zealand, South Pacific,
Africa, South America…)
In the South hemisphere shade strategies involve primarily the north-facing
roof and the north-facing walls and windows – the ones that receive the most
direct sunlight when the sun is higher in the sky.
2
Use
exterior screens, awnings, eaves and other external devices
to prevent shade on your home’s windows and other glassed
openings (windows, doors but also skylights). Non-shaded glass
is a big source of undesired heat.
If heat is a seasonal problem in your climate zone, trap the
radiant heat in the exterior of the house. Internal devices
(blinds, curtains…) aren’t an effective way of cooling your
building. The heat should be stopped in the exterior of the
house.
3
In climates with cold winters do not use fixed devices (non
retractable awnings, some pergolas, window screens and films…)
in the sunny sides of the house. Their effect is undesirable for
winter heating.
4
In some climates, shading the walls
and the roof surfaces is important to reduce summer heat gain.
Use light colors in the walls and roof. They retain less heat.
5
Consider the use
of trees, vines and shrubs
to shade the house or nearby zones. Trees crowns are a cheap and
very effective way of shading the walls, the roof or glassed
openings as windows and skylights.
6
Use deciduous trees and vines to access the winter’s sun. Only
in hot and tropical climates you should opt by evergreen plants.
7
Since the angle of the sun is lower when facing the east and
west side sides of the house, adjustable shading devices (some
awnings, screens, blades, blinds) are more adequate and
preferable in these sides of the house then the fixed ones.
Fixed devices are undesirable in some climates.
8
Pergolas, fixed
awnings and other structures are more adequate to the south side
of the house (in north hemisphere) or to the south one (in south
hemisphere).
9
Do not forget eaves: in most cases, they are a simple and
effective mean of preventing shade.
10
Use
lawn and ground-cover plants instead of paving the grounds
around the house to avoid extra heat.
11
Use advanced windows to filter the sun heat.
12
Retractable screens are a good shading solution in many cases;
solar films and tinted glass may also be a good solution, but
just in some climates where the need of shade is permanent.
See, for more details:
Solar protection
Landscape and
energy savings
Awnings and screens
Pergolas and House Shading
House Shading, Trees and
Shrubs
Shading in the several
climate zones
Windbreaks for your
house
Back to top Windows Energy Savings and Climate Zones
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