Which is the Best Orientation for Windows?
Whether you are a painter, a gardener, a light sleeper, or have a big screen TV, when buying, redesigning or building a house you will want to know which way the windows are facing. The orientation of your house and its windows may well have a bearing on what you do with your home and which rooms to have at which side of the building. There is much to debate on this subject as people enjoy so many different lifestyles and hobbies and have homes in places with a great variety of climates. Here are some suggestions to make your decision a bit easier.
In the northern hemisphere, the summer sun rises north of due east and sets north of due west and crosses the sky at a high angle. In the winter, the sun rises south of due east and sets south of due west and crosses the sky at a lower angle than during the summer. With this in mind, what does that mean for your windows?
North
North facing windows are ideal for artists. This is because the sun provides a fairly constant light level, only peeking in first thing in the morning and last thing at night in the summer and not at all in the winter. This helps artists to have more control over the light levels in their studio.
East
East facing windows get all the sun in the morning so is the best direction to point kitchens or maybe for rooms where people like to do yoga in the morning.
South
South facing windows get the most daytime sun during summer and winter. This means that rooms which face south would be best used for conservatories or sun rooms or for buildings which people work in which need as much light as possible throughout the day. These rooms can be ideal for installing large UPVC windows. The downside is that they also get the most heat, so shading or air-conditioning may need to be used.
West
West is best for bedrooms. This is because they get all the sun from the afternoon until the evening and so heat you bedroom up before you go to bed.
Basically the best place for your windows to face depends on what you want to use the building for or how much you want to utilise the sun in your home. Using the information in this article, hopefully you will be able to make a more informed decision when organising your home.
