Describe ways to orient rooms within the house to save on energy costs. When planning and constructing an energy efficient home in Louisiana, it is important to remember the biggest energy expense for most homeowners is cooling costs. This means that reducing heat gain into the house during the summer is the goal to keep in mind when orienting the house. These surfaces absorb heat and conduct it into the house. Heat always moves from a warmer to a cooler area.
Heat also enters the house through unshaded glass areas.
Both of these actions significantly increase the cooling load, thus more energy is needed to cool the house. Orienting the house to protect glass areas, walls, and roofs from the heat of the summer sun is necessary to reduce cooling costs and save energy dollars. The first principle involved in reducing cooling costs is to orient the house with the walls having the most surface area to the north and south. The walls having the least surface area should face the east and west as heat gain is greater on these sides. Glass or window area should also be minimized on the east and west sides of the house.