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- 1). Build a new home or building so that its windows face south or remodel an old home to have south-facing windows, as recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Arizona Solar Center. South-facing windows harness sunlight and turn it into heat as it penetrates the glass.
- 2). Build a new home, building or building addition with some thermal-mass materials, as recommended by the EPA. Thermal mass materials are dense building materials, like stone and concrete, that absorb warmth from the sun, then slowly release it. They also hold heat during the summer, so that it does not diffuse throughout the house as quickly and get too hot inside.
- 3). Build a home to minimize north-facing wall heights and maximize the amount of sunlight that hits south-facing windows and walls during winter. According to the Arizona Solar Center, a lot of heat leaves a building through shaded north-facing walls. Therefore, the Center recommends building a new home so that the roof slopes towards a shorter north-facing wall. Builders can also angle the roof to shade south-facing windows from hot overhead sun but allow more angled winter sun to hit the windows and warm up the home during the cold season.
- 4). Open curtains in windows that face the sun during the day in winter to allow sunlight into the windows to heat the house. Close curtains that do not face the sun, especially at night, to help hold heat inside the building, as recommended by the EPA. During summer, close curtains during the day to block sunlight and keep the house cooler.
- 5). Install a passive-solar water heater, as recommended by the EPA. The sun warms the water in a holding tank of a passive-solar water heater before it flows into the home's normal gas or electric water heater. On days with enough sunlight to heat the water, the electric or gas water heater won't turn on. On cooler days, the traditional water heater will use less energy than if the water had not been preheated by the sun.
- 6). Install a thermal pond to help heat the home during winter and cool it during summer. The Arizona Solar Center describes a thermal pond as a layer of water enclosed in UV protective plastic with a dark lining underneath. Thermal ponds usually sit on the roof so that they absorb sunlight. During the winter, the water inside them warms up and then slowly heats up the home beneath. During the summer, an opposite process occurs, and the water absorbs heat that would otherwise go into the house.
- 7). Plant a deciduous tree to block summer sun on the south side of the home. The tree's leaves will fall off for winter and allow sun to reach the house and warm it up. Trees also make a good wind barrier to make the home less drafty during winter.
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