Net Zero Energy Homes Part #5

When planning a Net Zero Energy Home, here are some suggestions:

1 - The garage should face North to shield the house from North winter winds. The garage should be fully insulated with insulated garage doors, but not heated.

2 - It is best to have the gable ends facing east and west. The angled portion of the roof should face north and south. The north winds will flow over the roof easier.

3 - The rooms imediately adjacent to north facing walls should be things like closets, laundry room, pantry and storage rooms. These rooms can be colder in winter and warmer in summer and will not affect the comfort of living in the home.

4 - There should be no windows facing North; ha-ha that never happens. At least minimize the amount of North facing windows. Use tripple pain windows for North facing windows if budget will allow (be careful to match color and style).

5 - Consider an enclosed front porch for the remainder of the front elevation (mius the garage). It functions in the same way the garage does, serving to shield the house from North winds.

6 - Whenever possible, locate closets and other such non-active rooms first to the North and then to the east and west walls. Any North facing rooms should be rooms like dining rooms or spair bedrooms, which are used the least often.


7 - Windows to the South should be tall enough to allow full sun into the house during winter (e.g. passive heat). The south windows should also be shaded for summer sun to keep sun out.

8 - Don't build bigger than you need to. Carefully plan your building. Each extra one sqaure foot os space cost dollars to heat, cool and light.

10 - Don't canteliver of build over the garage. These areas are very hard and expensive to insulate properly and contribute to heat loss in winter and heat gain in the summer.