John Anderson of

John Anderson of New Urban Builders offers 10 tips on designing neighborhoods and homes for energy conservation in sunny north central California: 1) Orient the long side of a rectilinear block running north/south — this allows narrow and deep lots to be laid out with the narrow end facing west; 2) Keep the street pavement narrow — 24 to 28 feet — and plant trees capable of covering the street with a canopy. This reduces heat stored in the pavement in front of every house; 3) Use sideyard building types with windows on one side of the building limited to sill heights of six feet or higher. This offers greater privacy to the neighboring lot while providing day lighting on at least two sides of most interior rooms, reducing the heat gained from interior lighting; 4) Use 8-foot deep full porches on the western end of the building; 5) Use 24- to 30-inch overhangs for the main roof over windows on the second floor. 6) For the air conditioning main distribution system, use rigid metal duct to reduce static pressure, and flex duct for the last 6 to 10 feet to cut noise. The reduction in static pressure can allow cooling capacity to be cut by a half ton without reduction in performance; 7) Locate the AC ducts in floor joists of two-story houses and soffits or lowered ceilings of one-story houses, keeping the cooled air ducts out of the hot attic; 8) Locate the condenser close to the HVAC unit and in a shaded portion of the side yard; 9) Build a tight house with positive ventilation; 10) Use spectrally selective glass in all windows.
×
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit. Dolores ipsam aliquid recusandae quod quaerat repellendus numquam obcaecati labore iste praesentium.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit. Dolores ipsam aliquid recusandae quod quaerat repellendus numquam obcaecati labore iste praesentium.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit. Dolores ipsam aliquid recusandae quod quaerat repellendus numquam obcaecati labore iste praesentium.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit. Dolores ipsam aliquid recusandae quod quaerat repellendus numquam obcaecati labore iste praesentium.