What You Need To Know About Sun Angles & Effects On Your Outdoor Room
When designing an outdoor area/room, sun angles make a significant difference. It’s important to consider the seasonal changes in the path of the sun, as this will affect how much light and heat you will receive in your outdoor living area and home. We suggest You will need to consider the current orientation of your home – which sides are the north, east, and west-facing sides – and understand the impact of the suns angles during Summer and Winter, as well as take into consideration any existing external shading devices (trees, exterior attachments to your home or structures not attached to your home that currently provide shade).
Summer vs Winter Sun
Although the sun follows the same east-to-west path year-round, the trajectory of it changes quite a lot. In the Summer the sun will be a lot higher in the sky, almost directly overhead at midday. In Winter it will be a lot lower and many homes are designed to take advantage of this lower sun position for passive heating – definitely something to keep in mind in the design of your outdoor room or living space. This phenomenon is illustrated in the diagram below:
Shading Your Outdoor Room
One way to cut down on the amount of direct sunlight you receive in the Summertime is by building a roof or wall (you can also create privacy screens to achieve this) or by using trees that lose their leaves in Autumn/Winter. To take control of your day-to-day shading requirements, you can install an Eclipse Sun Louvre Range to windows or to create a privacy screen. You can also install an Eclipse Opening Roof System. These additions will give you total control over the level of the temperature and airflow, as you can cut out a lot of the harsh summer sun, while still allowing the warming winter sun and light into your outdoor space, as well as adjacent rooms.
North-Facing Windows
If you want a bit of extra heat in the winter it’s a good idea to have north-facing windows included in the design of your outdoor room. This way you’ll get more of the low midday sun during the cooler months and can easily block out the higher and harsher Summer sun.
Winds Directions
While a cooling breeze can be nice on a Summer’s day, feeling the full force of a southerly wind isn’t so great. It’s a good idea to have protection, particularly to the south, and you want to make sure you don’t box yourself and create a stuffy environment. By understanding wind directions, you can use this as another method of passive cooling for your home. This will also be largely determined by the orientation of your existing home, so if you need help with determining the impact of hot and cooling breezes on your home and plans for an outdoor room, you should speak to your local outdoor living experts.
Other considerations
Angling your outdoor room to the east or west can provide a range of benefits too. If you’re an early bird, consider having an easterly facing room as this will give you sunshine during breakfast but you’ll get shade throughout the rest of the day. For those who like to throw dinner parties, a westerly facing room will mean you have sunshine in the evening. For the best of both worlds, angling a room in a north-westerly or north-easterly direction will also give longer hours of sunshine to enjoy throughout the whole day.
Creating an outdoor area is a great way to make the most of Newcastle’s great weather, and by getting the basics right you’ll find yourself spending more time out there and potentially increasing the value of your property.