How DarkestHouse works
DarkestHouse computes the real sunrise, sunset and hours of direct sun for every home in Fernie, behind the actual mountains, neighbouring buildings and trees, from public LiDAR and building data.
Questions
Which neighbourhood in Fernie gets the most sun?
On average Mountview is the sunniest, with about 10.1 hours of direct sun a day (3,698 hours in 2026). Northlands is the darkest, at about 9.8 hours a day. Every one of the 10 neighbourhoods is ranked on the rankings page, and each has its own page with its sunniest and darkest streets.
How much sun does my house get?
Type your address on the home page. For every one of 1,850 ranked Fernie houses we measure the real horizon from the walls (mountains, then optionally neighbouring buildings and trees) and follow the sun across it minute by minute for a year. The median house gets about 10.1 hours of direct sun a day, 3,676 hours a year, out of 4,474 hours of daylight on a flat horizon.
What time does the sun reach my house in Fernie?
Later than the sunrise in your weather app. A weather app assumes a flat horizon, but Fernie sits in the Elk Valley, under Mount Fernie and the Lizard Range to the west, with the Three Sisters and Mount Hosmer to the north. On each address page we show when the sun first clears the real horizon around your house and when it drops behind it, for any day of the year.
How much sun does Fernie get in winter?
Even on a flat horizon the shortest day, 21 December, has only about 8 h 9 min of daylight, and the mountains cut much of that. On 21 December Alpine Parkland averages about 6.0 hours of direct sun, while Ridgemont averages about 5.2. Each address page shows any date, so you can check the shortest day for your own house.
Does this account for clouds, trees and neighbouring buildings?
Clouds are not modelled, so real sunshine is lower than the figures. The headline rank counts only mountains and terrain, because that is the part nobody can change. Buildings and trees (from 2016 to 2020 LiDAR surveys) can be switched on; a minute behind trees counts as 30% of a sunny minute, since crowns let some light through.
Can my address be corrected or removed?
Yes. Use the “Contact / remove or correct my address” link in the footer and tell us the address. The page is built from public survey and address data, and we will remove or fix it on request.