Alternative Technology Assn Forums

1. 

   wawatters
   Member

   I am new to this site so please forgive my ignorance. However, I am confused by the contradictory information I come across in my research. I live in a northern climate (Michigan) and heat is one of the primary reasons I am considering building a passive solar home.

   I have read numerous books regarding designing a passive solar home. They suggest that you locate closets, hallways, laundry room, bathrooms on the north wall. They also suggest that you locate the most used rooms such as great room, dining area, kitchen, bedrooms, on the south wall to take advantage of the heat and direct light. This all makes sense. The contradiction comes in when they then state to make sure not to locate these rooms on the south because there will be too much glare because they become sun drenched. So what make the most sense?

   Should I locate the foyer/entryway, stairs, bathrooms, hallways, etc. on the south wall or does it make more sense to locate the kitchen, great room, bedroom on the south wall? Is direct light that big of an issue or can sheers on the windows solve the problem when needed? Please advise.

   Posted Sunday 8 Jan 2017 @ 3:44:23 am from IP #
2. 

   Morbo
   Member

   glare is in summer? Need for light is in winter? How about eaves then?

   Posted Sunday 8 Jan 2017 @ 4:50:34 am from IP #
3. 

   wawatters
   Member

   I would have trees with leaves and eaves to prevent glare in the summer. However, in the winter when the sun is at a lower angle and shines in below the eaves and the leaves are gone, the sun will supposedly cause too much glare and make the rooms unusable from what I read. However, I find it hard to believe but would like to hear from someone that has actual experience because the error in design could be drastic if true.

   Posted Sunday 8 Jan 2017 @ 5:03:34 am from IP #
4. 

   Morbo
   Member

   in Michigan you are? I guess the light up there is quite gentle, glare would not be much an issue. I grew up somewhere 50 deg north, Michigan is 41, Melbourne 31 or so. No issues with glare. Can always have curtains. Only when the sun is fairly low there is glare.

   Posted Sunday 8 Jan 2017 @ 6:07:13 am from IP #
5. 

   Bushwalker
   Member

   So wawatters, you seem to have read a lot of info about passive houses.

   Where did this bit of info exactly come from:

   "The contradiction comes in when they then state to make sure not to locate these rooms on the south because there will be too much glare because they become sun drenched."

   That doesn't sound like a comment from a passive house designer...

   In winter, you definitely want sun into your rooms, it will put some warmth into the building. If it's too bright (maybe you have snow up there) then you might want some internal shades which will pick up the heat and reduce the glare.

   Anytime we have been at the snow, we want the sun to stream into the rooms. Bluebird days are fabulous. Sun drenching is the way to go on a cold and clear winters day.

   Posted Sunday 8 Jan 2017 @ 6:19:33 am from IP #
6. 

   Morbo
   Member

   decideous trees, keep off summer heat. Is that an issue in Michigan?

   Posted Sunday 8 Jan 2017 @ 7:26:38 am from IP #
7. 

   Catopsilia
   Member

   Hi wawatters.

   Getting the heat of the winter sun inside your house and stored in heavy material should be your highest priority. Winter heating will become hard to afford within the life of a house built now.
   When the sun is let in, there are various disadvantages which you should plan to deal with.

   Daylight
   Think about the way that light enters the rooms. The topic is "daylighting" and there are textbooks about it. Daylighting is a great benefit. Office buildings used to be designed so that no parts of the building were far from a source of daylight. When electricity became dirt cheap that idea was dropped.
   Daylight brings glare, which can be a problem in a workroom. Furniture should be arranged to reduce the problem, and screens and curtains can help. One useful device is a "light shelf". This is a horizontal surface above head height but below the level of the top of the window. Light entering high in the window is reflected up from the shelf and diffused on the ceiling.

   Ultra-violet damage
   Sunlight will damage pigments, dyes, many plastics and some wood. Wherever the sun shines, you must put only such furniture as will survive there. Perhaps other people here may have advice from their experience. I chose "outdoor" types of furniture fabric, in colours resistant to fading. On the covers of many of my books, the titles can no longer be read. The plastic blades of a desk fan are breaking up after just 18 years.

   Think it through!

   Posted Monday 9 Jan 2017 @ 12:25:18 am from IP #
8. 

   arttt
   Member

   Yes it is a bit of a contradiction and winter glare needs to be considered. (summer glare isnt an issue as the eaves keep the direct sun out).

   In a room with a lot of winter sun you need to think about how you use the space and account for any glare. A non reflective floor helps. Positioning kitchen work surfaces, sitting and reading areas etc. to avoid direct sun (but they can still be in sunny rooms). Planning to have circulation spaces in the sunniest spots is a great idea and also mean that furniture is kept out of those areas to allow for greater sun exposure directly onto the thermal mass of the floor.

   My approach to any complaints about glare in my house is to suggest that a sunny winters day is wasted if your inside and best enjoyed outside.

   Also need to consider that at lower sun angles (i see the OP is at 44 degrees north and im at 35 degrees south) sun penetration into the house will be greater and glare greater.

   Posted Monday 9 Jan 2017 @ 12:31:32 am from IP #
9. 

   Greg C
   Member

   I have only ever flitted through the USA so don't know much about the climate. However I would suggest the kitchen be on the north side, it is the only room likely to be affected by winter glare, in other rooms you can just move if it is an issue. A Trombe wall could be another part of your mix, and an open plan design can help share the heat around.

   Posted Monday 9 Jan 2017 @ 1:51:55 am from IP #

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