01-28-1981 Council Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

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ENERGY PLAN INNOVATIVE HOUSING TYPES Innovative housing types, such as solar housing or underground housing, hold sub- stantial promise for consumers as they provide the opportunity to reduce energy demards. These housing types also will pose new problems to planners and developers, as their construction characteristics and space needs may vary significantly from those to be expected in a typical residential subdivision. Solar Housing Solo' housing could offer new housing opportunities to Little Canada. By taking measures to plan for solar housing now, the City could leave open the possibility of future use of solar technology. While the public sector should take the lead in using solar technology to supply energy, substantial reductions in energy costs could be realized as this techno- logy could be used in residential, commercial and industrial areas as well. Solar planning poses a number of problems, all of which are related to the problem of providing solar access. There are four types of solar access that must be planned for: 1. Rooftop protection, which protects the sunlight falling on south- facing rooftops of new buildings. 2. South wall protection, which protects south wall exposures on new construction. 3. South lot protection, which protects the part of the lot adjacent to the south facing wall. 4. Detached collector protection, which would protect some part of the lot depending on the most feasible site for the location of the detached solar collector. The first step of the planning process for solar energy will be to gather inventory information required to make decisions about the type of solar housing which would be feasible in Little Canada. This would include information on soils, slopes, tree cover, and climate among other factors. Much of this information has already been collected as part of the comprehensive planning process, but much more detailed information will be required before it can be used on specific sites. A -6