The layout of the house in relation to the sun is important.
The layout of your house in relation to the sun, and the careful use of features and materials are important in keeping your house at a comfortable temperature year-round.
Passive design is design that takes advantage of a building’s site, orientation, climate, and building characteristics to minimise the amount of energy required for heating, cooling and ventilation.
Good passive design includes:
On average there are about 2000 hours of sunshine a year in New Zealand, although this varies by location.
Solar energy can be used for heating water using solar (thermal) panels mounted on the roof. Electricity can also be generated directly using photovoltaic cells mounted wherever they can best capture solar energy.
If you’re thinking about going solar, you’ll need to do your homework first. Check out our mystery shop of solar panel installers here.
This page was put together with the help of BRANZ.
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