House design/room placement!?

what is the best way to take advantage of natural breezes in teh house ? be specific





why should you use overhangs?





what type of thermal mass should you use and why ?





can you put too many windows in your house? explain





explain how proper landscaping reduces energy costs ?House design/room placement!?
You can incorporate a passive solar heating and cooling house by taking advantage of natural sun and wind patterns.


Overhangs protect your house from overheating and also protect it from the elements.


See http://www.building-your-green-home.com/鈥?/a>





Yes - if you have too many windows you can easily overheat a home in the summer, and intensify the cold in the winter. They are essentially ';breaks'; in the solid walls of the house.





Here's a page on energy efficient home design:


http://www.building-your-green-home.com/鈥?/a>





Hope this helps.House design/room placement!?
To take advantage of natural breezes you need to know which direction the wind blows in your area. Orient the most windows on the side where the breezes come from and directly across the house from them, as well as minimize barriers. You can also take advantage of convection with outlets near the roof or on it.





Overhangs especially on the south side shade the house and windows during the summer months when the sun is high, but allow the lower winter sun to shine into a room.





Thermal mass can be used in many ways, concrete floors are common, but also brick or stone interior walls will help regulate the temperature both heat and cool all year long. If you live in a cold climate having a solid wall exposed to sunlight can help heat the house. In a warm climate a solid wall that is shaded will help cool.





Yes, most windows don't hold heat very well. It would be near impossible to regulate the temperature in a glass house. Think of a green house, with the sun beating on it all day it would get very hot, remove the sunlight and it would cool dramatically. Kind of like a car.





Landscaping can help block sunlight to help cool a house or block sun to heat a house.
Sounds like what you are interested in is really a Passive House (not to be confused with passive solar). Please read my article on it and watch the video: