Where Does the Sun Actually Land in Your Yard?
Terrace yards are fussy about sun. Give us three measurements and the way your back faces, and we'll show you where it lands through the year: on the house wall or on the flags.
Summer versus winter sun in a terrace yard
In June the sun climbs high over Manchester, more than 60° at midday, and gets right down into a terrace yard. That's when a kit does most of its work, from breakfast to well after tea.
In December it barely gets above 13°. Low sun skims over the yard wall and the row behind, so a tight terrace yard can see little direct sun in midwinter, on the wall or the floor. That's normal, and it's why spring, summer and autumn matter most.
In those in-between months a panel up on the house wall catches a lot more than the flags do. That's why the Back Wall Kit wins on so many streets.
Over a year, the long bright months make up most of what any kit produces, here or anywhere in the UK.
How to measure without a tape
- Wall height: count the brick courses. Each course is about 75mm, so roughly 13 courses make a metre.
- Yard depth: count the flags from the back door to the yard wall. Old square flags are usually about 60cm (2ft) a side.
- Distance to the next row: pace it out down the entry. One big stride is roughly a metre.
- Which way it faces: stand at the back door looking out and check the compass app on your phone.
It's a guide, not a survey. It doesn't know about next door's outrigger, a tree or the extension three doors down, so trust your eyes too.
Why does the wall get more sun than the floor?
Height. A panel 2.5m up the house wall looks over a 1.8m yard wall that throws its shadow across the flags when the sun's low.
How accurate is it?
It uses the sun's real path at Manchester's latitude and your measurements, and it assumes two-storey houses round you. Treat the hours as a fair guide for comparing spots.