(incredibly proud of my art studio powered by the sun)

Sun Worshipping is a Non-Negotiable

I adore being frugal. I love figuring out how to fix and finagle off a shoestring budget.  But when it comes to sustainable building, there are a few non-negotiable topics; such as sun worshiping. Solar is the cornerstone of a planet-loving building or renovation project.  

This topic almost paralyzed my project from unfolding, until I asked one crazy question….

When We First Met….

Blue's gentle sloping topography, beefy parallelogram figure, and proximity to my darling Freeport left me suspended without breath the very first time I saw her. I loved her. Standing on the dirt road with my realtor on a Saturday in May, staring hard into the forest, I saw....what could be. I could see all of it.

There was one problem.

My internal compass knew the property was missing a decent south-facing location for the actual house. A wee bit crucial. Dammit! But the perfect spot to harness the sun did exist —- but it was about 100 feet to the right. Not on the property for sale.

This was a deal-breaker and I hated to admit it. Begrudgingly, I consoled myself. "Onward. Something else must exist." 

Unless.... unless...unless…..  

I jokingly tossed an idea to the realtor as I stood there kicking the dirt, "I'd be her sworn protector if we could JUST shift the boundary line. Just a little.  You know, as part of the negotiation."  Basically, eat into another property. Trade this for that. It was certainly not the norm.

Yet, by voicing my crazy, the exploratory process started.  

Three months later, steel pins were hammered into the ground, designating the new boundary corners and extending Blue 100 feet to the right. And papers were signed. 

That was the beginning of the many steps I would take to lasso the rays of that glorious star of ours. 

Six Drops Of 101 Golden Sun Tips

The topic of sustainable building is immense. And complex. Like all frontiers, there never is a perfect well-trodden path cut in with clarity. The basic premise is: solar energy is the epicenter of a energy efficient home. Understanding the following concepts was very helpful to me:

Two Phrases: Passive Solar and Active Solar The good news is you don't have to choose Team Passive or Team Active. They are complementary strategies to maximize solar energy.

• Passive Solar: Using orientation, design, panels, windows, walls, and floors to collect, store, reflect, and distribute solar energy. Retaining it in the winter, reflecting it in the summer. Soaking up the sun is how I would summarize it.

• Active Solar: Using mechanical and electrical devices - such as hot water pumps or fans - to increase the effectiveness of solar energy.  My summary? Maximizing and activating the energy. 

Download Sun Seeker: Tracker and Compass App The angle of the sun's rays changes from winter to summer. Holding your smart phone and using this app, you can interpret the shift of the calendar on your one-day home.

Talk to Solar Companies Contact several of your regional solar installers. They can blend technology and GPS coordinates to make an initial assessment even over the phone.

Meet on the Land Interview potential builders and contractors on the lot, instead of their offices. Sustainable builders can't help but orientate their minds to the positioning of the sun when standing there. You can learn a lot from watching what they observe. Every builder and contractor who has stepped foot on Blue orientates themselves first. It is actually very fun to watch… ;)

Design is KEY If your architect or builder is inclined to plop your dream home onto the property facing the road — because that is what is the norm - then pause and question why. Is it because it’s just what consumers are used to? It’s the easiest? And cheapest? Or do they plan your home around the land and the sun? Do they work with a landscape architect?

Sun Worship Turn your head. Feel the warmth. Watch the arch. Go in the morning. And afternoon. Bring a bench or a chair. Where do you like to take your morning coffee?  Is it important to you to have a patio that faces 3:00 summer sun? Do you like morning sun streaming in the master window? Is there a sunset to be captured? Turn to the North. This will be the coolest (or coldest) sided of the home.  Yes, YOU! Trust YOUR wisdom. Only you know how you love to live. Shift the orientation of a porch or the pitch of a roof around this innate knowing. Do Not Discount what YOU know. 

In future posts I will look a the challenges of putting solar panels on the roof vs ground-mounted solar arrays or solar trackers (that follow the sun). Ideally, I would like the option to be entirely off the grid. Which would mean also incorporating a solar wall of my own.

Do you have solar? What would you do different? How would you plan next time?

#BuildingBlueByBuildingGreen