Building Orientation & Design
Let's consider using the sun. You can position your home
to take advantage of the relationship of the sun to your site.
For instance, with no mechanical equipment or cost, you
can tap the energy of the sun through design & day lighting
that guards against the harshness of the summer sun and
creates the beneficial warmth and light from the sun in the
winter.
Did you know that enough solar energy makes its way to
earth in just one hour, that if captured, could handle our
planet's energy needs for a whole year!
Home Building Orientation on Site
High Performance Interview
Jeff Day Architect - Part 1
Jeff Day Architect - Part 2
Your new home may initially exist in space (as a concept or a blueprint) but it is going to be built in a place, and that's what you must first consider. The question is, aside from being located where you want to live, how can you maximize your built environment on this site. You can orientate your home in such a manner as to take maximum advantage of the powerful energy resources that already exist from the sun, wind, and earth.
With the proper orientation of your home and right solar system you can tap that energy to power your electrical needs, create your hot water, and if desired, power the cars you drive.
Did you also know that the earth we live on absorbs, and stores for us to use, roughly ½ of all the sun's energy every year? I'm talking about clean energy...renewable energy!
Obviously, we can't capture all that energy, but you, with a team of professionals can design and install a geothermal heating and air system that can tap this stored energy in the winter to provide heat and in the summer return it back to the earth to help you cool your home.
Finally, we can explore the feasibility of capturing the wind at your site to help power your home.
