Next time you build a house take a look at this.
http://www.newtonhouse.info/orientation.htm
We have large windows on the north side of our house with eaves that shade them in summer, from equinox to equinox.
The Sun heats the house in winter. We have small windows on the east side covered with shades.
On the west we have a garage with no windows and on the south we have a long verandah to shade the house on summer mornings and evenings.
Our blinds roll up from the bottom so we can keep the Sun out in late March and April if we want to, without stopping all the light.
