The orientation of your home greatly affects its climate control. This topic is of interest to you because keeping your home at a comfortable temperature is the most important part of your energy bills. The consumption of each appliance occupies second place in this ranking of expenses, followed by hot water and lighting.
So if you are thinking about doing some work, or if you are looking for a new home, you should take into account which way the building faces. This seemingly trivial detail determines how much it will cost you to find the right temperature for your home .
To better guide you, we will always use the data from the IDAE efficiency and savings guides (For guidance, we will use the efficiency guides from IDEA (Institute for Energy Diversification and Savings).
"The largest portion of your energy bills goes toward heating or cooling your home depending on the season."
Is the orientation of the house so important?
The short answer is yes, absolutely yes.
You know the long answer, but it may not be something you think about when choosing a home. The sun rises in the morning and warms buildings in very different ways:
For example, if you have an east orientation, your home will heat up in the morning and cool down throughout the day . Ideal if you work standard hours and live in the south, so you'll find your home cool when you get home from work. Also perfect for those who work at home in the mornings in climates that aren't hot.
However, this same orientation can be a nuisance in summer for someone from the south of Spain who has a bedroom on the east side. This wall will release all the heat it has absorbed during the day and will release that temperature into the bedroom at dusk, which guarantees a hot night.
In other words, orientation determines the solar irradiance received during the day, and the way in which this is transmitted to the interior of the home, for better or worse. Considering that the majority of the energy bill (electricity plus gas) is due to the air conditioning of the home, it is worth knowing about the relationship between energy consumption and orientation.
These are the guidelines in Spain
Although there are significant temperature changes between the different regions of our country, with a warmer climate the further south we are, and shorter and colder days in the north of our geography, there are a series of generalizations that will help us understand the importance of the orientation of our main facades :
East facade . This is the first to receive light in the morning, as the sun rises along the ecliptic (the curve it makes across the sky). Although it warms up somewhat in the morning, the truth is that after midda philippines whatsapp numbery the facade tends to cool down as it does not receive direct radiation. Cold nights.
West facade . Unlike the East, it receives light from midday to dusk, and is one of the directions that receives the most total irradiation, especially in the south of Spain. It tends to heat up a lot throughout the afternoon, and remains with thermal inertia for a good part of the night. Warm nights.
South Facade . The facade that receives the most light of all, especially in the north of the country. If there are no buildings in front, light enters from early morning until sunset, and therefore it is a facade that tends to heat up a lot. Without curtains, the floor will gain a lot of heat during the day. Very warm nights.
North Facade . This is the coldest orientation of the house. In Spain, it does not receive direct solar radiation (only indirect, from clouds) and it is also the façade through which we lose the most energy throughout the day. It is the coldest area of the house, and the first to be insulated for winter. Quite cold nights.
Looking for a house? Look at the orientation
Some readers may be looking for a home (for those who are not, you can skip to the next point without any problem) and wonder what the optimal orientation is in their region . On the one hand, we want the sun to warm our home for free in winter, while in summer we prefer shade. Unfortunately, the winter sun is low and the summer sun is high.
This means that we will have to choose. For example, if we buy a low-rise house, it is unlikely that we will receive any sunlight in winter from the south (because it is blocked by the houses in front), while it is very likely that in summer we will receive a good dose of irradiance. Unless, of course, we have trees in front, which helps a lot in hot climates.
Generally speaking, in the north of Spain we are interested in south and west orientations with lots of sun all year round, while in the south, east and north orientations are highly sought after . However, a home with two orientations (north-south or east-west) can be a very good idea to facilitate cross ventilation, especially for cooling in the south of Spain.
A very interesting compromise solution is the following: a house with a south-north orientation, insulating the north of the house very well and building passive elements on the south side such as horizontal eaves, canopies, static slats or brise-soleil . In this way we will have sun in winter with little energy loss to the north, and shade on the façade in summer.
"In the north of Spain, people look for southern and western orientations, while in the south, the most sought-after orientations are eastern and northern."
