Designs That Work

Cold Climate

The Basic House - Siting and Orientation

The choice of an appropriate building site is an important first step in constructing the affordable, high-performance house described in this package.

In selecting a site, priority should be given to urban lots with existing service infrastructure, access to public transportation and mature neighborhood amenities. The next best choice would be a lot in a responsibly-planned new development. In either location, the building site should be chosen for good solar access, with consideration given to orientation, slope, existing or potential overshading, and lot proportions.

Figure 3: Site Plan Diagram

The site plan above shows an area for installing solar thermal or photovoltaic panels on the south face of the house rooftop that will not be shaded by neighboring buildings. Large roof overhangs shade the walls and windows of the house to reduce the summertime cooling load. The garage is located towards the rear of the property to provide an additional or alternate location for PV panels.

In a Cold climate, landscaping should be arranged to provide shade the house during the summer months but allow good solar access during the months when heating is required. This can be accomplished with well placed deciduous trees that drop their leaves to allow sunlight to reach the house in the winter. Note that the shading should not extend over any part of the solar panels (PV), as a small amount of shading can significantly reduce their output.