Winter Windows in Sedona

Winter in Sedona is cold at night, even freezing, but there is plenty of sun shine during the day.  The winter sun sweeps through the sky for a good 10 hours at an angle that can reach into your southern windows and warm your home.  Of course you will also see it each morning coming into your eastern windows, and each evening coming into your western windows.  The morning light is particularly helpful to take away the chill of night.

Sedona architecture is at its best when these patterns are taken into account in the design of a residence.  Here are some Sedona architect techniques for sustainable Sedona homes, not to mention homes in most northern hemisphere regions in general.

• Passive Solar Clerestory Windows:  These windows are placed high in a room and can be arranged on all faces of the house, north, east, south and west, but must be placed with care.  The south face is the most important.  South windows will take advantage of the low sun angle during the winter, but will also diminish as the warm months approach.
• Overhangs:  Overhangs in the east and west are useful to block the severe sun angles of morning and evening light.  A good house design finds the balance between blocking too much light or not enough.  When calculated properly a house will perform well for 9 months of the year, and moderately for the remaining extreme times.
• Window Sill Heights:  Sedona architects must look carefully at the sill heights on each face of the house to find the appropriate cut-off angles for the various time of day through the year to optimize the passive solar design features.  3D architectural software with sun study features is very helpful to make these calculations.
• Window to Wall Ratios:  Each face of the home requires a thoughtful window to wall ratio.  Hopefully when you choose your land to build your home, you will bring a Sedona architect or Sedona house designer along to help you determine if your lot is suited for a good passive solar home design.  Passive solar architecture does not add any cost to construction or design, but it saves you cost each month that you own your home!