‘North Facing’ Properties: What Every Canberra Homeowner Should Know

After designing hundreds of homes across the Canberra region, I can tell you that orientation is the very first thing I assess when looking at a block for clients.  Why?  Because Canberra cops both climate extremes – scorching summers and bitterly cold winters – and getting the orientation right can make or break your home's comfort and energy efficiency.

The North Facing Reality Check

Just to be clear, north facing doesn't mean north facing the street!  It's about which way your living areas and main windows face.  Often, I see people focus solely on maximising winter sun, which is understandable in our winter dominant climate.  But this single-minded approach can create overheated homes come summer.

North at the rear of the property is generally a safe bet – you get big windows capturing sunlight and seamless connection to the garden.  North at the front can be challenging, especially with single-storey homes where the garage dominates the frontage on increasingly small blocks. North at the side is often ideal because the long boundary means more sun reaching more rooms.

There's a hierarchy here: true north is best (roughly within 15 degrees east or west of north), then north-east, which brings more morning sun, and then north-west, delivers afternoon heat. During a hot Canberra summer, that afternoon western sun can be brutal.

The Advantages Are Real

Generous glazing on the north side (which should always be double glazed), gives you natural light, views, and that crucial connection between indoor and outdoor spaces.  The passive heat gain during winter makes homes more comfortable and slashes energy consumption.

But It's Not a Free Hit

Don't overlook shading – your home will overheat in summer without it. Thermal mass (concrete slabs) becomes a double-edged sword in our hot summers and will become an unwanted heater.  Eaves (or modern versions of similar) are easy wins here, so don't overlook their importance.

The biggest myth?  That any north-facing glass is good, and that more is better.  Whilst generally true, even high-performance double-glazed windows have very weak thermal performance compared to walls – meaning as soon as the sun loses intensity in the late afternoon, windows become the biggest source of heat loss. The trick is to find the right balance.

For more information on orientation and design principles, check out www.yourhome.gov.au [source for article image]