which direction should a house face... (West, Howe: HOA, credit, houses)

[dunkky]

so, you would save the most from the utility fee? i know it's not a clear cut question, so there is no clear cut answer, but assuming we spend most money in utilities during the summer time and knowing that we are moving toward more and more green, it will not be too long where you would see a solar panel just about every house. Given that, what do u guys think a house should face to take a full advantage of all that.


Thanks.

[Rakin]

To me the worst way to face is East. That puts the hot afternoon / evening west sun in your backyard and makes it almost impossible to use in the heat of the summer.

[dunkky]

good point, that's what i thought as well.. i am trying to avoid the one facing east.. thanks for your input.

[dollaztx]

If you are going to have a house facing west make sure it doesn't have alot of windows on the front because the summer heat will pass right through forcing you to crank up the AC. The two best ways to face are either North or South. North is best if you keep dogs in your backyard because the house blocks the northern colds in the winter. As far as solar panels I dont think the direction of the house matters but rather the layout of the roof.

[nsumner]

It also depends on the layout of the home. Our home faces west and in the summer the sun beats down the front, we have towering trees so that obvioulsy helps tremendously. I personally like the sun in the backyard in the afternoon for sunbathing. That's what awnings and umbrellas are for.

Naima

[blueiis]

Best way is North.....unfortunately ours faces West But we spent a good amount of money to have new windows put in across the front and that has helped tremendously with the heat!

[loves2read]

there are other factors to consider--
your HOA won't allow solar collectors on the front of the house--
and it depends on how the roof line is shaped
to be effective solar collectors have to get XX hours of sun per day--
it is possible on some rooflines that the part of the roof you would think would be the best area for catching sun is facing the front or gets too much shade from other houses or from other parts of the roof itself

you need to go to some sites for specific info on solar collectors and read some professional information

EACH house that is considered for solar collectors has to be individually evaluated--
there is more to it than just slapping collectors up on a roof
you have to add additional elements to your power system

[PlanoGirl]

Our last home faced north, which in theory is good. However, we had two huge shade trees in the front and very few windows up there...so we got little heat coming in that way anyway. And the backyard that had NO trees and living room in the back with a wall of windows that faced south were always sweltering. SO even though north was considered a "good" direction, it didn't work as well for that house layout.
In our current home, we face west. I was a bit concerned initially, but it;s been fine. We have a front-facing garage so we don't have a lot of windows in front. And the rooms we 'live in' (living room, kitchen) are in the back too. So it hasn't been too much of an issue. The house across the street and neighborhood trees help block the later afternoon/ evening sun from the front, and we get complete shade on our backyard at that time....which is when we like to be outside the most....so it works well for us.

As far as solar panels, loves2read makes excellent points.

When we had a couple solar panel companies come out for an estimate, the told us that we needed full sun exposure on the south-facing roof surface...and of course, that section of roof needed to be big enough to support the panels (I think they recommended a min of 10 panels). You COULD put the panels on facing a different direction if necessary, however they wouldn't work nearly as well and you didn't qualify for the tax credit.

[dgz]

It's not so much the direction that your house faces, but which directions do the walls with the most windows (and the least tree protection) face? A house with lots of windows facing south/southwest with no tree cover... would be the worst scenario for energy savings.

Another thing to consider is where you want the rooms with the most light... For example, if you spend a lot of time in the kitchen in the mornings, you may want a kitchen on the east side of the house.