Building an Energy Efficient Home for Less, Tip 2

Have the Main Windows Facing South.

Sunlight shining through a square foot of glass will produce 400 Btu’s per hour of heat in the winter. In fact 200 square feet of glass facing south has the potential to completely silence that 80,000 Btu per hour furnace even on the coldest days. As luck would have it, prairie farmers live in the sunniest part of all of Canada, so to not use it to help reduce the gas bills would be a travesty.

The trouble with windows is that since they have a low R-value, when the sun is not shining at night or on cloudy days, they will lose a lot of heat. Fortunately installing lined or quilted curtains easily solves the window’s low insulation problem. By simply closing the curtains when the sun sets or the clouds build up it is possible to increase the R value of the window by a factor of five or more instantly..

Not only does the additional sunlight in the winter months help reduce the energy bills but it can also make you feel happier. Many people on the prairies suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD for short) that is attributed to a lack of sunlight in the northern latitudes. The symptoms of the “Midwinter Blues” such as lethargy and irritability can be alleviated by addition of full spectrum sunlight as any one who vacations in tropical climates can attest.

Another trouble with south facing windows is that they let in daylight all year long. Those same windows that saved you from bankruptcy in winter have the potential to turn your whole house into a shake and bake oven in the summer. Providentially, with the correct the placement of shade producing nature of trees and shrubs, all is well again.