SHADES OF GREEN
Founded in sun-drenched Israel, Solara Adjustable Patio Covers offers custom pergolas, patio covers and awnings made of recycled aluminum. Their louvers are designed to provide ventilation, shading from the sun, and also energy savings. During summer, closing a patio cover’s louvers keeps the sun’s rays from adding extra heat to a home. In colder months, opening the louvers allows sunshine to warm indoor spaces. The result is a reduction in cooling and heating costs, according to sources at the firm’s Phoenix facility. Available in manual or remote-control options, the products can be ordered in standard Cameo color or in 100 custom hues, including Mahogany, pictured.




BENCHMARK
From GroovyStuff, this Badland Root Bench is handcrafted of teak from responsibly managed plantations. Suitable for use in sun or shade, or even indoors, the gnarly piece from the Back to the Roots Collection measures 40 inches high by 68 inches wide by 24 inches deep.

SUN SPOTS
You can save money on heating and cooling your home by being passive, say some experts. But that doesn’t mean doing nothing: It means adopting the relatively simple methods of a concept called “passive solar.”

Passive solar is a non-mechanical approach to controlling the heat of the sun’s rays and making them work for you, according to Arizona environmental architect Dan Aiello, chairman of the nonprofit Arizona Solar Center. On the other hand, he says, active solar involves equipment—something to harness the sun’s heat and use it “to generate electricity to make hot water,” for example.

Passive solar is a matter of common sense, according to Anthony Floyd, city of Scottsdale Green Building Program manager. “In winter, you want to get the sun’s heat gain through a wall, and in summer you want to minimize direct sun exposure to a wall.”

The following are some passive solar tips from these experts:
• Plant deciduous trees: In summer, they leaf out and provide cooling shade to the house; in winter they lose their leaves, allowing the sun’s warmth to enter the home.
• Plant vines to cover trellises that can screen walls from the hot sun.
• Consider installing patio covers and awnings that can be adjusted—with louvers, for instance—to minimize or maximize sun exposure.  
For more detailed information, visit azsolarcenter.com.