Ways To Incorporate Passive Solar Design Into Your New Home

April 25, 2008 · Filed Under Home Design Tips

With energy costs rising through the roof, it makes good financial sense to take a look at reducing energy costs by sitting down with your Omaha home builder and discussing how to put passive solar design elements into your new home. Here are some ways you and your Omaha home builder can make your home more passively energy-efficient.

Remember that masonry materials like tile, stone or brick floors will absorb heat from the sun during the day and slowly release it as the night creeps by. Thermal mass will store excess heat gain, prevent your interior spaces from overheating and help reduce cooling costs by moderating heat delivery to your home.
While it may be impossible if you’re building a home in a subdivision with pre-determined lots, try to orient your home on an east/west axis with south facing glazing. This allows sun to enter the building from around 9 in the morning until 3 in the afternoon during the season heating costs are highest.
Look at ways to shade windows that are exposed to the sun. Shade windows with overhangs, porches and landscaping elements such as vines, trees and bushes. Features that provide shade can help cool your new Omaha home naturally and help reduce unwanted solar heat gain.
When designing your home, take window placement into consideration. Also, choose windows with higher R-values and low-emissivity coatings. During the heating season, a well-designed direct gain system can capture and use 60 to 75 percent of the heat that strikes the windows.
Windows that open and provide airflow throughout the home can not only help maximize ventilation and reduce space-cooling demands, but also help with improving the quality of the air in your new Omaha home. If a room is designed with only windows along one wall, it is better to have two widely spaced windows instead of just one large window.

With a little care before your builder breaks ground, you can dramatically affect what your energy costs will be after you move in - and that can add up to a lot of savings in the long run.

Tags: Home Design Tips, home energy costs