Touchstone Energy Home

Planning & Building

Site Selection
Each climatic region has its own distinctive characteristics and conditions that influence site planning and dwelling design for solar utilization and for energy conservation. Indiana is split almost evenly with cold climate to the north and mixed-humid climate to the south.

Home site planning should not be overlooked when building a home. Given the opportunity, the party acting as the designer, the general contractor, architect or do-it-yourself homeowner should examine the site for the most suitable home placement and solar orientation. Take into consideration things like: natural windbreaks, summer breezes and interior home air circulation, shade, water run-off and ground water tables. Sites facing southeast, south or southwest provide the best opportunity for optimizing a building's orientation with respect to daylighting and passive solar gain.

Landscaping should be used to: buffer the house from winter winds; allow for winter solar gain and daylighting; and provide summer shade and cooling. Listed in the table below are some of the home features and corresponding benefits to optimal site orientation:

Home Feature	Optimal Site Orientation	Benefit(s)
Compact building design	See "home facing."	Offers greater energy efficiency than homes which are spread out.
Open floor plans	--	Optimizes air flow and ventilation, improves daylighting effect, and in winter distributes heat more evenly.
Home facing	Southeast, south to southwest	Optimizes daylighting & passive solar gain (maximizes lighting in the home year round and warms home in winter).
Living areas (e.g., kitchens, living rooms and family rooms)	South and west sides	Maximizes daylighting and comfort.
Storage areas/garage	Northwest and north	Minimizes uncomfortable summer thermal mass effects driven by high winds across hot surfaces.
Well insulated walls	North	Especially effective in northern Indiana climate zone.
Outdoor living areas	Southwest side of residence	Offers protection from winter north-northwest winds; offers access to summer breezes.
Large paved surfaces or asphalt areas	Position on the sheltered side of use areas, away from the wind.	Minimizes uncomfortable summer thermal mass effects driven by high winds across hot surfaces.
Deciduous Trees (trees that drop leaves in winter)	South and southwest	These trees provide shade in summer and sun in winter providing greater summer and winter comfort in the home, reducing winter heating and summer cooling needs.
Large landforms, pine trees or vegetation	North and northwest	Reduces the cooling impact of winter winds.
Porches, sheltered patios	South and southwest	Shading adds comfort during summer weather extremes and added-protection from the sun's rays.

Solar radiation combined with daylighting, which enters through windows can cause the home's inside temperature to rise as much as 20° F on hot days. This effect can work for you when laying out the homes orientation, especially in the winter months. When designing for a cooling load, avoid excess windows on east- and west-facings of the home because they are the most common cause for summertime overheating. Too many windows on the south side of the home may lead to overheating in summer and winter. Double pain, Low E glazed windows should be installed throughout the home to maximize thermal efficiencies, reduce solar radiation, and to protect interior home surfaces from fading.

Roof overhangs and awnings are a good source for shade, as are drapes with light-colored linings or blinds. Keep in mind that lighter colors for walls, floors and ceilings, and roofs reflect sunlight and will reduce heat gain.

In cold climates, tight construction and a uniform thermal boundary are critical to the home's comfort and energy efficiency. Add to this an energy efficient, properly sized heating and cooling system with an insulated, tight ductwork system and you get maximum comfort, performance and operating cost savings.
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