PlaceDossier / Questions
How much sun does my property get in winter?
In BC's valleys the mountains can take half the December sun, or all of it. A report reads the skyline around the lot and gives the hours of direct sun the hills leave on December 21, March 21 and June 21, against open ground at the same latitude.
The report opens at this answer, with the lot drawn on the map and every other check alongside. A PID (on the tax notice or title) always finds the lot; an address works when it's an exact match.
What the answer means
- What the report measures
- The skyline seen from head height at the middle of the lot, in 72 directions (every 5°) out to 16 km, and the sun's path across it on the three days. The hours are the time the sun stands above that skyline: the most direct sun the terrain allows on that day.
- Open ground
- Each figure sits next to the hours of daylight on a flat horizon at the same latitude, so you can see what the hills take. On December 21 that's about 8 hours in the south of BC and about 6 hours in the far north.
- When the sun comes back
- Where the hills hide the noon sun on December 21, the report gives the first day after it that the noon sun clears them. Where there's no direct sun at all on December 21, it gives the stretch of days without any.
- Terrain only
- Trees, buildings and cloud aren't counted. A stand of tall trees to the south, or the house next door, can take more winter sun than the hills do, and coastal winters are often cloudy whatever the skyline.
- How it's read
- Computed by us from Natural Resources Canada's 30 m elevation model: its 30 m grid within 1.5 km of the lot, where the lot's own slope and the nearest hills decide, and a 120 m version of it farther out, where only the ridges matter. The curve of the earth is taken into account. The sun's path comes from the standard solar position formulas.
- Why it matters
- Winter sun decides how long snow and ice stay on the driveway and the roof, how much heating a house needs, and whether solar panels or a winter garden will work. A north-facing slope at the foot of a mountain can go weeks without direct sun.
The hours are our estimate for one spot: another part of a hillside lot can get more or less. Visit on a clear day in December or January, or ask neighbours when the sun leaves and comes back. Confirm with neighbours, and a solar installer or designer for panels, before you buy or build.
Source: Medium Resolution Digital Elevation Model (MRDEM-30), Natural Resources Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada); Solar position: General Solar Position Calculations (NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory; Spencer, 1971) (Public domain).
Across BC
Colour: Possible direct sun on December 21 at each place's town centre or main settled place, as a share of open ground at the same latitude, from the terrain (computed by us)Dot size: population
74%92%100%
0%86%97%
Most winter sun
- 1Sunshine Coast, Electoral Area E8 h of 8 h, at the middle of the area's addresses at Gibsons100%
- 2Richmond8 h of 8 h, at Richmond's town centre100%
- 3Delta8 h of 8 h, at Delta's town centre100%
- 4Kootenay Boundary E / West Boundary7 h 50 min of 7 h 50 min, at Big White100%
- 5White Rock8 h of 8 h, at White Rock's town centre100%
- 6West Vancouver8 h of 8 h, at West Vancouver's town centre100%
- 7Sunshine Coast, Electoral Area D8 h of 8 h, at Roberts Creek100%
- 8Fort St. John6 h 40 min of 6 h 40 min, at Fort St. John's town centre100%
Next to each figure: hours of possible direct sun on December 21 against open ground, and where they're measured (the town centre, an electoral area's main settled place, or the middle of the place where it has neither). Places with the ground within 500 m of the point taking an hour or more of the December sun are not ranked.
Source: Medium Resolution Digital Elevation Model (MRDEM-30), Natural Resources Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada); Solar position: General Solar Position Calculations (NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory; Spencer, 1971) (Public domain).
Other questions: is my property in the Agricultural Land Reserve · is my property on a floodplain map · has my property burned in a wildfire · is there a mineral or placer claim on my property · does my property have road access · how close to a creek or lake can I build · how strong could earthquake shaking be at my property · has there been a landslide near this property · are there water wells on or near my property · is there room for a septic field on my property · are there species at risk or protected habitat on my property · is there radon in my home or the home I'm buying · does the speculation and vacancy tax apply to my property · can I rent my property short term (Airbnb, VRBO) in BC · what internet can I get at this property · what plant hardiness zone is this property in · which school catchment is my property in · is there a power line near my property · is my property near a railway, highway or airport · what will the property taxes be on a BC property.