It's common for real estate agents to call with questions about energy efficiency, water saving ideas, and solar panels. But today's question is definitely a different one that no one has asked before. Are shade trees a form of passive solar.
Passive solar is an element of building design. For a complete explanation of the elements of passive solar design, click on this link by Energy.Gov, explaining how passive solar works.
Basically, passive solar design includes a home's orientation, thermal mass, distribution mechanism and control strategies. The best orientation for a home in the desert Southwest includes north/south exposure. Some builders who understand this concept better than others turn a house a few degrees off from exact north/south exposure to get the best heat in the winter and the best shade in the summer. Other strategies would be include roof overhangs and extended front porches to avoid heat gain. This photo from a home tour shows how one owner added this slatted roof to shade the East morning sun but allow views of the nearby mountains in Cave Creek, Arizona.
As an example, here in the desert, we shade south and west facing windows as much as we can to avoid heat gain, ie heat entering a space. If you live in a colder climate, consider that you might want those window orientations to heat your spaces and your distribution methods (fans or blowers) might be different than what we might consider in the desert.
Passive designs include building a home so that it's best orientation and design elements capture the best of what's available for that home depending on the climate zone. For an interesting read on climate zones, check out this link.
Back to the agent's question - she wanted to know if trees that surround an entire home are elements of passive solar. Trees aren't passive solar as they are planted to provide shade to stop the heat gain from entering the home. Trees grow, need to be trimmed, and sometimes removed. So to say a tree is an aspect of passive solar isn't an element of building design. Trees are added after a home design is completed.
Have a question about energy efficiency, design elements, or which features provide the best return on investment - reach out to me!
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