Placing the majority of a home's
windows on the south side can
reduce heating costs.

Orientation, Space, Heating and Cooling

1. Get oriented. Before you build, study the lay of the land, and put the sun to work for you and your home. Notice how the sunshine travels across the property, then orient your house so the rooms you'll use most often catch the best rays.

Take your climate into account. Are winters brutally cold? Plan your home so main living areas -- or any rooms you might use during the limited daylight hours of winter -- receive southern exposure. If harsh winters swing into sizzling summers, invest in high-efficiency windows (such as those with low-E glass) to keep cool.

2. Don't waste space. Do you really need a guest room? How often would you use a den? Eliminating rooms that you'd rarely use will help keep your building budget in line. In addition, you'll save the cost of heating and cooling these rooms in the future. Sit down and examine how you'll use each space in your home. What you decide might not adhere to conventional design standards, but if it will work for your family, go ahead.

3. Help out your HVAC system. Make your building materials and home design work double duty. That way, you can purchase a central air-conditioner and a furnace with less power -- and a smaller price tag. For example, use argon-gas-filled double-glazed windows. Then you can let in vast sheets of sunlight and save on the heat bill at the same time.

Ventilation is also an important part of heating and cooling. Strategically placed doors at either end of the house, along with double-hung windows at reachable heights, can be opened to let breezes sweep through the house. Similarly, an open floor plan allows heated or cooled air to pass easily from one space to the next.