How to Build a Green House

First of all it is very important to be clear about what a green house really is. A green house is a building that manages to use self-generated energy in order to save electrical energy and help the environment. These houses were not very famous ten years ago. However, as the global warming issue has started to get worse, more people are considering building their houses like this in order to not suffer any issues in case something went wrong with power suppliers. These systems also represent substantial money saving in a long term perspective, as there will be no power supplier to pay to. There are some things that have to be taken into consideration if you are willing to make your house able to use a green system. These aspects have to be revised from the very beginning of the construction.

The Building’s Orientation – There is a specific way to place your house in order to take as much energy as possible from heat and the sun. This orientation is exactly within 10 degrees of true south. This will help your panels take as much heat as you might possibly need. Always take special care of trees or other buildings surrounding your house. Remember that these can work as shadow producers and keep you from getting the energy you need.

Window Designs – the “Window Area” is what they call the area in which solar panels will be laced. Some people think that it is better to have very big window areas in order to take more energy from the panels. However, having a larger window area can cause the system to overheat. Then you will be forced to use cooling materials like concrete and so to keep your house from being too hot during the summer.

There is actually a formula that will give you the exact amount of window area that you should install in each room. That is the percentage given bellow, divided into the total floor area (times 100 as it is a percentage).

• If the glass is facing south – 5% to 12% of the total floor area of the house.
• If the glass is facing east – less than 4% of the total floor area.
• If the glass is facing west – less than 2% of the floor area (this will avoid the house to overheat during the summer.)
• -          If the glass is facing north – less than 4% of the floor area.

These are very basic tips that will help you install a very nice green system in your house. About 80% of all the problems people have with these systems are caused by a misunderstanding of the percentages above. This is exactly why it is important to be very careful about them and find the exact amount of window area to place.

This is not something you will have to do by yourself. Remember that there are specialists that can get the idea you want in your roof and make your dream house start working. However, it is also important that you measure your floor area, and make your calculus several times so that you know you are not making any mistakes. This way you will avoid future problems with your solar system.

A secondary aspect to also be careful about is the placing of the common windows in the house. The position of these will affect the amount of air that will get into the house. This can also keep the house from overheating due to the solar panel system. Good ventilation is enough to keep a house fresh even during the summer.