I tried to respond to a comment made by fostertom on another thread and the tinternet played up. So I decided to start a new thread with my query instead.

I suggested that perhaps opaque glass could be used on a south facing side, to make the most of passive solar gain, but prevent you overlooking neighbours houses.

Fostertom sensibly pointed out that you can't see views through opaque glass.

This brings me to a dilemma.

The cottage we hope to move to is screened from the south by a low range of outbuildings. Our view to the North and West is fantastic - but it is also where the worst of the weather comes from.

I won't be alone in this. People living in barn conversions ( Barns were built to protect the farmhouse from the worst of the weather) probably have the same problem. As will people in new builds (where the planners have stuffed as many houses as possible on to a site, regardless of their orientation).

When I specified to the two architects we employed, that I didn't want any doors on the north side - or any large windows (because of heat loss). They looked at me as if I was a 'sad old Ludite', and gently explained that:

Modern glazing/insulation is so much better these days, you can have doors and big windows (to make the most of the views) any where we put them - including all over the north side. . . . . .

I don't believe them

Is it me? Who's right? The experts? or little old 'refusing to keep up with the times' me?

Posted By: luditesit in the couch and face the opposite wall - not the view

so that you can read the ad news in the newspaper with the light coming sensibly over your shoulder ...

There's no view from the south, but the upper wall and the roof will be fantastic collectors and are where we'll be siting the solar for our hot water.

Eventually I want to add a 'room/conservatory' to the north side which will protect the cold side of the house from the worst of the weather. I hope to get it to stick out (making the house footprint a 'L' shape) so that we can have an outside patio area protected from the east - by the house, and the north , by the new room. The new room will therefore also be south facing on one side, and it's where we might eventually put pv - if it turns out to be economically viable.

rogerwhit - of course!! I just think it looks strange seeing the back of a couch, when they could just reduce the depth of the windows and get the same effect.

Sorry fostertom. Its just that on another post I mentioned opaque winows - if you don't like the view or don't want to overlook others - if you wanted passive south solar gain.

You then said that there were other ways of getting the solar gain and you didn't need massive south facing windows.

I then slept on the concept - this forum gives me things I like to think about before falling asleep.

I thought about all the houses you see in mags, and on progs like grand designs. . . . . . massive glazing, a bit pretentious at times. I thought about 'grandma' saying how all your heat goes out of the windows. I thought about the architects comments - about it being fine to have windows/doors on the north side of houses (improved insulation and glazing techniques). I got to thinking about the 'image' that we are presented with - open plan, bare foot wandering, coffee freshly ground, no dust, nice art works etc, , , , , , , and the reality - heat loss in the winter, condensation, and the placing of furniture.

I've said it before on this forum, but my real interest is separating the 'image' of a house from the reality. It's a bit of a complex idea that is hard for me to conceptualize in the brief format of a thread.

I've got really critical about domestic architecture recently. I haven't seen any houses anywhere that live up to what I expect my 'dream house' will be like. Time and motion experiments,. . . . 'laziness' if you like. A house needs to work for me, that includes all the stages of a life. If houses are designed properly they won't need to be altered and messed around with as much - and we will all save time resources and money.

There are other ways of obscuring a view and getting privacy while still getting light in. Sandblasting is good - sandblasted glass lets in most of the light but is pleasantly obscure, with a slightly sparkly frosted effect. Artistic types can order a sheet of glass, cover it with self-adhesive vinyl and cut out a pattern with a scalpel. Depending on the balance of clear and frosted glass you want you can either leave lots of vinyl or take most of it off. Then take it to someone who does sandblasting; then take it to your DG manufacturer and have them use it as the middle sheet in your triple glazing (or in DG with the blasted side inside). I once made someone a nice set of windows with freehand vines growing all over, with tendrils, grapes and so on. Gives very good privacy by day and almost none at night.
As for the question of windows on buildings, I would have thought that it would be an unusual interior layout that could allow no windows at all on the north side (or a very small house).

I work in glazing manufacture, and the industry is working towards soon to be implemented 'window energy ratings' (wers). The ratings are for overall window+ glass construction, as opposed to previous centre pane 'u' value of the sealed unit only. The calculation takes into account solar gain, or 'G' value, 'U' value of frame and sealed unit, and air leakage. Taking all these factors into account an 'A' rated frame has a zero heat loss minimum. Further details can be found on the British fenestration ratings council website, (google BFRC) where 'A' rated fabricators are listed. Optimum sealed unit construction for thermal performance and solar gain is 4mm S.G.G. Diamant Low iron glass/16mm cavity 90% argon filled/4mm S.G.G. Planitherm Total.
Er, I'm new here, so maybe you guys already know this stuff...

I agree with Tom it simply is not possible to allow solar gain into window U values -- reasons as Tom states

It gets worse! Anyway, I though the window energy rating system came in a couple of years ago - but it only really serves the retail replacement dg market.