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Figure out those solar angle thingies.

An other post that is not just about Amador County Real estate. In my last post I talked about

five elements of passive solar design

But I mentioned a few things that you need to find out about your personal area before you can figure out your solar angles. Now this does get a bit technical for those of us who have been out of geography class for a few years, but we can do it. We just need to find the right help.

Get out a pen or pencil and a sheet of scratch paper, You do have some scratch paper, something only printed on one side…

better yet, “stickies” on a Mac or “scratch pad” on one of those lesser machines (come on, I'm just joking around). Something you can keep some numbers on for a few minutes.

Go to geonames.usgs.gov fill in your City (feature name) and State. Send Query.

Find your area on the list and write down the Longitude and latitude. For this operation you only need the degrees. Also get you elevation. For me in Amador County, Northern California that is around 38 degrees North Latitude and about 120 degrees West Longitude and my area is about 300 ft.

Sustainable by design website Take those numbers over to Sustainable By Design and punch them into the form. For the date first punch in June 22 for the time enter 1200 and drag down to 24 hr. then enter your time zone, mine (pacific) is GMT+8. For time Basis choose “solar time” leave the daylight savings to “no” and zero azimuth to “South”.

Click “Calculate”.

This will give you your altitude angle. That is what you are looking for. Write this angle down, this is the summer or high angle.

Now go back and change the date to December 22 and re-calculate. This will give you your winter or low angle.

Solar angles The rest of the job is to measure overhangs, windows, and shades like trees. Draw them out as much “to scale” as you can, then get out your protractor and draw your lines at the summer and winter angles, meeting at the overhang, top and bottom of any shade items, and continuing to the surface of the building (floor, or wall) this should give you a view of how much sun will make it through the window at maximum and minimum.

If you have any trouble with this please feel free to give me a call or zap me an email and I will be happy to talk you through this stuff.

Posted by Michael I. Pulskamp REALTOR®, EcoBroker® on 01/08/2008 03:36 PM

Comments (11)

mainstreet brokers, amador county real estate, solar, angles, degrees

11 Comments on Figure out those solar angle thingies.

Wow....I think my head just exploded. For what ever reason this is not allowed in our subdivision in Katy Texas.

01/08/2008 03:49 PM

by Team DiMuria, Katy Texas Realtors (Prudential Gary Greene Realtors)

uh, Sorry about your head...

Don't tell them, but this stuff is actually so basic it's almost imposable to not deal with it in one way or another. Use this technique to plan tree planning. They do let you have trees right? how about awnings, if not awnings how about outside window shades, These things can really make big changes in the comfort and cost of energy in a house.

01/08/2008 03:59 PM

by Michael I. Pulskamp REALTOR®, EcoBroker® (Mainstreet Brokers)

I just wrapped my head in duct tape to keep it exploding. And, if it does, I will know were the pieces are. Interesting post. I have been contemplating using solar in more as part of energy conservation. I believe that fuel will soon go out of sight! Good post! 8-)

01/08/2008 04:18 PM

by Michael Thornton - Nashville, TN area Home Inspector (Complete Home Inspections, Inc.)

Excellent information Michael! I have seen this before and couldn't remember the links! This is so important in design and you are a dear for posting it!

01/09/2008 12:00 AM

by Mary Bigelow, Renewing Your Life! (GreenLife Homes/ Contractor's Building Supply)

This stuff should be considered more than it is here in the desert southwest.

01/09/2008 11:03 PM

by Mike Jones (Tucson Mortgage Company, LLC)

Michael, It might be to late this time, but if you wrap the first layer of duct tape sticky side out, it will be much less painful to remove from your head. I will not go into how I found this out.
Mary, Glad to help, too many people think that this stuff is beyond them, I just want to make it easy.
Mike, Early on this stuff is darn near free to use, but at any time some of this can be successfully implemented. I visited some courtesy cabins out in the middle of nowhere, near Death Valley, the planning and tricks the old desert rats used in these places were amazing. with a twist of a valve water (from a spring fed cistern up the valley) would start dripping across a thick duck screen and in moments the back yard nook was cooler by 15 or 20 degrees. Just well applied common sense.

01/10/2008 01:36 AM

by Michael I. Pulskamp REALTOR®, EcoBroker® (Mainstreet Brokers)

Michael,

That's pretty cool--the duck screen and water cooling! I'd like to see that place.

Mike in Tucson

01/24/2008 06:44 AM

by Mike Jones (Tucson Mortgage Company, LLC)

Wow, Ronald McFarland just caught my screw-up on my chart, I had the dates switched. I hope I did not confuse anybody. Just to be clear. The Sun is higher in the sky in the summer time in the Norther hemisphere. Angels will be steeper in the summer time and shallower in the winter here.

I'm going to chalk it up to right brain/left brain issues.

Thanks!

02/14/2008 07:28 PM

by Michael I. Pulskamp REALTOR®, EcoBroker® (Mainstreet Brokers)

Nice explanation. If we could get more home designers to see this isn't rocket surgery we could work it into just about any home--not just prairie style or Frank Lloyd Wright inspired stuff. Way to bring passive solar design out of the closet.

02/15/2008 07:32 PM

by Christopher J. Hall CGP, CAPS (GreenLife Homes)

Hi Michael - easy is as easy does ! Wow! Ronald McFarland looked closely at the chart ! Glad you straightened her around!

Chris - would that be the back hall closet????

02/16/2008 12:11 PM

by Mary Bigelow, Renewing Your Life! (GreenLife Homes/ Contractor's Building Supply)

Michael,

GREAT POST!

03/22/2008 09:48 AM

by Andrew Stone - EcoBroker® (Windermere Real Estate)

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Figure out those solar angle thingies.

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