Sun Angle Calculator

Designing a deck to capture the sun is an important consideration. Listed below are 4 different scenarios for the orientation of a deck in relation to the sun. The four scenarios also relate to the Southern hemisphere only. As with all decks, neighbouring properties can block sunlight in all seasons depending on the time of day, though this is a greater problem in winter.

• North facing deck - Probably the best orientation if possible, capturing the maximum amount of the sun.
• East facing deck - Great for capturing the morning sun
• West facing deck - Excellent for afternoon & evening sun, but could get a bit too hot in the summer.
• South facing deck - Only would capture the sun in the summer and the warmer parts of spring and autumn

Another factor is your location, the most dramatic difference here is the height of the sun in the winter, particular in locations like the South Island.

An excellent resource for finding more information of the sun angles is the Sun Angle Calculator. From here you can enter in your address, and work out the sun angles for any time and date of the year for your given location.

Other useful information here is:

• The ability to calculate shadows, a really handy feature particularly with neighbouring properties from any time and date of the year
• The ability to work out the sunrise and sunset locations from your property from any date of the year.