Architect's Toolbox: Solar-Powered Design
See how your home's design can take advantage of the sun's natural energy all year
Bud Dietrich, AIA
October 27, 2011
Houzz Contributor. My name is Bud Dietrich and I am an architect located in the Tampa Bay area of Florida. I am licensed to practice architecture in Illinois, Florida, New Jersey & Wisconsin. Since 1996 I have worked from my home office and provide full architectural services exclusively to the single family residential market. My passion is to transform my clients' houses into their homes. I strive to have the "new" home accommodate my clients' lives without fighting them at every junction. I look to add curb appeal to encourage a beautiful streetscape. And I design any addition to look and feel like it has always been there.
Our projects have won numerous design awards as well as having been featured on television (CBS News Sunday Morning, HGTV, CLTV, etc.), in magazines (Better Homes...
Houzz Contributor. My name is Bud Dietrich and I am an architect located in the Tampa... More
In a recent ideabook we identified a smartly designed home as one that is respectful of the planet. In another story, we presented the Hudson Passive Project, a home that relies almost completely on the sun for its heating and cooling. Here, I'll use a few examples to get into a little more detail on how to design a home to take advantage of the sun's power.
More: High Design With Solar Panels
More: High Design With Solar Panels
This home is by architect Nathan Kipnis, who has spent the last several decades designing homes that rely on the sun for heating and other power needs. In this home, Nate orients the long face on an east/west axis to make sure that the home gets a lot of sun throughout the day. The design incorporates a deep overhang and pergola to block the sunlight from entering the home in summer, when the sun is higher in the sky.
This photo is shows how the interior appears on March 21 and Sept. 21 each year. Light from the summer sun enters only the first few feet of the home. It reinforces the architecture by helping to define the primary circulation space and hallway.
This photo is of the home's interior on Dec. 21. In winter, when the sun is lower in the sky, sunlight reaches deep inside to help illuminate and warm the interior.
The only thing required to achieve a home powered by the sun is some smart design. For another project, architect Nate Kipnis identifies the roof angles that will be required during the winter ...
... and in summer to optimize harnessing sunlight.
The finished home is quite traditional in appearance, belying the fact that the home is on the cutting edge of technology and design.
Another home on the cutting edge of sustainability and green design also has very traditional architecture. This home includes features such as a passive cooling system (proper shading and the ability to take advantage of natural air movement) and Energy Star compliance (third-party-certified to use 15 percent less energy than allowed by the building and energy code).
What I especially like about this home is that it is smartly designed to be a good neighbor and engage the world around it.
See more of this house
See more of this house
Though we sometimes think a home on the cutting edge of design and technology will look like something from the Jetsons, it certainly doesn't have to. This home offers more proof that an energy-efficient and sustainable home can be built in any style and in any location. They just need to be smartly designed to suit their context and their owner's preferences.
This home's traditional design fits seamlessly within its context, while incorporating straw-bale construction (a great insulator and sustainable system), passive cooling and more.
This home's traditional design fits seamlessly within its context, while incorporating straw-bale construction (a great insulator and sustainable system), passive cooling and more.
Sometimes it doesn't make economic sense to install a solar array such as photovoltaic cells when a home is first built. But establishing an optimal roof angle at the onset makes adding these features that much easier later on, when the technology improves and the costs come down.
More: 10 Elements of the Just-Right House
Houzz Tour: Innovate Home, Heated and Cooled by Design
High Design With Solar Panels
More: 10 Elements of the Just-Right House
Houzz Tour: Innovate Home, Heated and Cooled by Design
High Design With Solar Panels
With over 8 years of experience serving the Columbus and surround area, Hoffman Exteriors, is your solution for... Read More
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These are some fantastic ideas for incorporating solar energy in your home. I especially like that they are more subtle; there aren't huge panels causing an eyesore on the property. Solar energy is a growing industry, and my wife and I want to be part of this wave of the future. Using some of these ideas would be fantastic for us.
http://artisanelectricinc.com/solar/solar-overview/
Another benefit of a metal roof is that they generally have a + 50 year lifespan. If you have solar panels on a roof, it is a real pain to take the solar panels down every time the roof needs to be replaced and put them back up. I have been told that each time the panels are disconnected and reconnected, it slightly reduces their efficiency due to wear on the connections. Probably not to significant, but another good reason to have a very long lasting roof.
...plus we really like the look of a metal roof!