This tool demonstrates the superpower of tiny homes: Mobility. Unlike a traditional house, you can rotate your home to catch the sun. The calculator uses your specific Latitude to determine the sun’s angle in Winter vs. Summer, helping you design the perfect roof overhang to harvest free heat in December while blocking the scorching sun in July.
It features a “Sun Angle Visualizer” that simulates the sun’s path and shadow casting in real-time.
Passive Solar Simulator
Design your overhangs to harvest heat & block glare.
Warning: West facing windows cause severe summer overheating.
The Golden Rules of Solar
In the Northern Hemisphere, the sun is always in the southern sky. Orient your tiny house so the long side with the most windows faces True South. This gives you free heat in winter. Facing West creates unbearable afternoon heat in summer.
The summer sun is high (over 70°). The winter sun is low (under 30°). A correctly sized roof overhang acts as an automatic switch: it shades the window when it’s hot but lets the light pour in when it’s cold.