A structural overhang should be included in any passive solar design that includes a large expanse of south-facing windows in order to shield the home from the heat of the summer sun. The overhang should be designed to allow full winter sunlight to enter, but little or no summer sunlight. Since the sun’s angle is lower in the sky in winter, passive solar design uses the overhang to permit solar heat gain in the winter, but to block it out in the summer when the sun is higher in the sky.