north vs south facing windows

Advertisement. East and west-facing windows receive little sunlight in winter, autumn and spring, but excessive sunlight in summer. Looking for new windows for your home? North vs South. When the only windows available were drafty, single-pane units, it was best to keep north-facing glass to a minimum. Consequently, south-facing windows are exposed to sunlight for much of the day. In Canberra in winter we might get sun from about 10AM in the North facing windows. However, low-e windows with good insulating values can face north without losing much heat. Ideally, the glazing area should be between 10-25% of the floor area of the room. The ideal house orientation is one that runs along an East-West axis so that wall areas receiving hot morning and afternoon sun are minimised. North-facing ones, by contrast, are in near-constant shade. In all other climates a combination of passive solar heating and passive cooling is required. That house faces South, so the yard and most of the living areas face North. North-facing windows don’t get much direct sun, so SHGC is less important. Along with poor natural light levels, a lack of sunlight can make a home very cold - winter sun might be blocked by neighbouring buildings or views may be to the south or west, requiring windows with poor orientation. Consider locating your garage to the west side of your home. Keep this in mind when browsing the section below. These windows tend to have the weakest light intensity and are often in relatively deep shade throughout the window. Introducing raked ceilings will boost the surface area of glazed windows … If the building’s axis is located on the east-west direction with its longest dimension facing the south, more of the building is situated to absorb the sun’s heat energy. North-facing views provide lighting that is consistent throughout the day, never too harsh or too dull. NORTH FACING DIRECTION: A NYC apartment with Northern Exposure. Keep windows small but openable to increase ventilation. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. When neighbouring buildings obscure wind and sun, there are a number of ways you can still achieve an energy efficient home. South facing windows facilitate winter heat loss, consider double glazing to retain heat. Windows which face North never get sunlight coming through them. Get Game Free! It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. Use smaller, well-shaded windows to reduce heat gain or use high performance glazing. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Unit 8 Haven Business Park, East facing windows get sun from sunrise to midday. Slippery Gowt Lane, This sort of glass is covered in an extremely thin coating of metal, designed to act as a filter. There are many innovative designs available to still achieve an energy efficient house. Your choice of window can have a profound impact on the way your home looks, and its energy efficiency, but the benefits of a double (or triple) glazed window depend on where they’re positioned. Lincolnshire A south window is ideal for plants that prefer full sun. Use high level windows and vents to create convection currents for cooling. The reason why is simple:  sunlight doesn’t come from every direction at the same time, but from wherever the sun might be in the sky. Avoid full length windows as the lower part of the window will invariably be in permanent shade – raise the sill height to avoid heat loss through ‘wasted areas’. Alternatively, consider using high performance glazing such as low-e or toned glass. North-facing windows. In sunny southern locations, protecting your windows from the sun is an important component of good window management. They can’t handle direct sunlight, taking to areas with bright, low-light conditions. The distance from the source of incoming heat (south) to where it is a… Reduce the amount of south, east and especially west-facing glazing, or relocate some to north-facing walls. In order to see what this might mean, let’s consider why triple-glazed windows aren’t as popular in Surrey as they are in, say, Svalbard (pictured above – a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean ). South is a good direction for views as south facing windows require no shading from direct sun or minimal shading above the Tropic of Capricorn. 8. In warmer climates, you don’t want extra heat from the sun, so a low SHGC is important for windows that face South… For example, in south-facing homes the rooms at the front of the house are usually cooler, while the north-facing rooms at the back are mostly warm, especially in the winter. The yard slopes down from South to North, so it gets Winter sun most of the day. Also take into account the location of landscape features such as trees and walls and their impact on solar access. The further north, the greater the percentage of gain from the south-facing windows vs. other directions during mid-winter. Both north-facing and south-facing houses can benefit from Superior Sun Solutions and our awning/screen options. Window direction and lighting. In an urban area where sunlight is at a premium, this can make a world of difference. High Performance Casement Stormsure Energy+, the benefits of a double (or triple) glazed window, why triple-glazed windows aren’t as popular in Surrey as they are in, say, Svalbard, prevent sunlight from heating up your home as effectively. In the southern hemisphere the angle of the sun makes a low arc across the sky in winter with its highest arc reached in Summer. For one thing, not all houses are arranged perfectly parallel to the equator; most of them are at an angle so that no side can really be said to be north-or-south facing. The first step is to know how the sun moves through the sky and to orient the building and place the windows in it so as to minimize direct solar admission through your windows. The difference between the two houses is unbelievable! They can be easily shaded from the high summer sun to help keep the house cool. South East or North West etc. Please enter an email address to help us locate your BUILD account. 3D Product Visualization Services By Yantram Animation studio, Meridian - Idaho, 3d bicycle Product Modelling By Architectural design studio, 3d Product visualization services, Austin - Texas, Modern Residential 3d floor plan design with 2 bedrooms by architectural rendering studio 2021, Houston - Texas, Booster Button or No Booster Button for My Solar Hot Water. Spathiphyllum Wallisii (Peace Lily) If you’re looking for a flowering plant that doesn’t need too much … Firstly remember that few homes face exactly in the direction of the four points of a compass (North, East, South, West) so your aspect may have a combination, i.e. It is recommended windows are kept small and well-shaded, particularly those facing west if this does not compromise ventilation. Since we in Britain live in the northern hemisphere, we experience our sunlight from a southerly direction. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Increase the size of your south-facing windows When capturing north-easterly sun is simply not possible, consider increasing the amount of glazing on your south-facing windows and walls. On a very bright sunny day in winter, a north-facing window can get quite a bit of reflected light, especially if the ground is snow-covered. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. How the Direction Of Your Home Affects the Windows You Should Choose. If there is a Miss Congeniality award, it would probably go to northern exposure. The most effective window treatments that minimize cold air infiltration include Hunter Douglas Duette® Honeycomb Shades. Cold north wind also will make your room feel colder if your windows aren't good quality. Fabric/Material: Batiste Semi-Sheer. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Things to note when choosing a NS (North South) facing unit South-facing windows. 68. This will keep heat inside your home, but it’ll also prevent sunlight from heating up your home as effectively. Screenshots. From where the guy cut a Cherry cap in half, both orientations have issues. Locate common rooms such as your living, dining and kitchen to the north. Ideally, the front of the house (living room, with the largest windows) would face South. This means using low-emissivity glass. Use high level windows and vents effectively in high density areas. Use insulation, draught proofing and window protection to improve the thermal performance where you are limited to solar access. Failing to account for this when you choose your windows is likely to mean wasted energy. Select smaller windows on south, east and west-facing walls to aid cross-ventilation. Consequently, south-facing windows are exposed to sunlight for much of the day. Orienting your succulents. North facing windows allow cold air to seep into your home which can be a big problem in the chilly winter months. Round bulbs are the worse on north facing, but no LEDs (or SMD LEDs in North facing hit the cap less. Otherwise, all its gets is reflected light. Browse our sliding sash or casement windows or find out about our handmade bespoke windows. In order to see what this might mean, let’s consider why triple-glazed windows aren’t as popular in Surrey as they are in, say, Svalbard (pictured above – a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean). Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Boston, North-facing rooms can still be BRIGHT if there are enough windows, but bright doesn’t mean WARM. The amount of sunlight directed at a window varies according to the time of year, housing density and orientation. Pros: beautiful sunrises, lots of morning and early afternoon sunshine, rooms facing east in the winter mornings will be warmer, and windows facing west in the evening will have beautiful sunsets. It may be possible to grow shade-loving plants in a north-facing window during the summer months, but in the winter, these windows are usually not conducive to plant growth. PE21 7AA. North-facing windows receive twice the winter sun than east and west facing windows, allowing light and warmth into the home. Ironically, depending on how bright and how open your views are, your shades may be down most of the time in a south facing apartment. When it comes to energy efficiency and style, we’ve been serving Arizona since 1993, and we can’t wait to help you get started with your next shading project. The optimum degree of solar access and the need to capture cooling breezes will vary with climate. Many people would be shocked to find out that Sansevieria are actually good houseplants for direct light. It will block ultraviolet light (whose rays have a wavelength of around 300-400 nanometres) while allowing everything else through. We all love natural light, but unlike popular belief, not all windows are … Typically a south-facing home gets sun for most of the day, especially at the front of the house, and is therefore usually brighter and warmer. What’s the Best Colour for Exterior Windows. In any case, this is kind of disappointing, because our new Energy 101: Daylighting video explains that south-facing windows are best for daylighting. They can be easily shaded from the high summer sun to help keep the house cool. If you are fortunate enough to have sunny south facing windows, you can grow a nice variety of houseplants, including many flowering houseplants that you would not be able to grow elsewhere. That said, choosing a window that’s appropriate for the position of your house can help yield the maximum possible efficiency saving and is therefore stilll something worth considering. North-facing ones, by contrast, are in near-constant shade. Video. In the southern hemisphere the angle of the sun makes a low arc across the sky in winter with its highest arc reached in Summer. If the window isn’t exposed to direct sunlight, however, this won’t be a problem you need to consider – which makes triple-glazed windows more useful in colder climates, and worth the added cost. The most important orientation aspect to consider is the direction your house and windows face and their solar access. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. Hunter Douglas Duette® Architella® with PowerView® Motorization. So I guess it could certainly be worse. South facing windows receive no direct sunlight in winter and only early morning and late afternoon sunlight in summer. This reason why is simple: the more panes of glass that you stack atop one another, the more you’ll slow the spread of heat (and light) from one side to the other. Good house and window orientation increases the energy efficiency of a home, making it more comfortable to live in and cheaper to run. Cons: waking up early to sunlight if your bedroom faces that way, a lot of heat in summertime, rooms facing east will be darker in the late afternoon and evening so there would be a greater use of electricity. In the same way that both uPVC and aluminium windows can lessen your reliance on artificial heating and lighting practices through the use of multi-chambered internal frames which better trap heat, south facing windows have more exposure to the sun and therefore make for a warmer home. If you face north you will not get direct sun at all. These flowering plants work best in a north-facing window due to the fact that they prefer filtered light. 4.3. North Facing Windows. Keep eaves to a depth of 600mm so they don’t block winter sun. Another potential downside is that the direct sun could damage some furnishings like artwork. West windows get direct sunlight from mid-afternoon to late in the evening in summer causing overheating. Plants for South-Facing Windows. A north-facing window gets a little bit of direct sunlight (perhaps) near the hours of sunrise and sunset in late June. Categories Arcade Strategy War Two-Player Multiplayer Description. In this example, the windows faces the North and the South If we take a look at the red arrows, that is the path of the Sun as it passes over our heads above at different periods of the year. North-facing windows receive twice the winter sun than east and west facing windows, allowing light and warmth into the home. They let in the light all day long, and don't have as many problems with glare and heat as east- and west-facing windows do. Windows should be kept small, however they can be extremely useful for passive cooling as part of cross ventilation as cooling breezes in summer usually come from the south. If you want a cooler front (north) of house or hotter front (south) of house, then choose north vs south correctly. North-facing windows do not get any direct sunlight and get a full day of indirect sunlight. The use of performance glazing can limit heat gain in winter and maximise heat gain in summer. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. These rooms will also have fewer shadows to contend with compared to south/east/west If you paint a north-facing room a cool gray, blue, green or purple, you risk the room feeling DOUBLY as chilly. In the colorful strategy game NORTH vs SOUTH, you play the head of one of the armies of the Civil War. This is where the sun is most intense. Cap less, south-facing windows are kept small and well-shaded, particularly those facing west if this not. Cap less flip a design to suit your needs at no extra cost in distinct pockets help. 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