Question: I want to build a conventional-looking house that uses solar heating and cooling without the big solar roof collectors. I would like a spacious, open floor plan. What solar features are best ...

Following the first energy crisis in 1973 there was a rush to heat homes with the sun. It was a tinkerer's paradise, with all manner of solar heating systems migrating from garage workshops to ...

As I discussed in last week’s column ("Resilience: Dramatically Better Building Envelopes," Jan. 4), a resilient home is extremely well-insulated, so that it can be kept warm with very little ...

What is passive solar energy, and how can passive solar be incorporated into energy efficient home designs? A natural builder shares tips on building an energy-efficient home. To me, the art of ...

John Avenson fell in love with his home more than four decades ago. The year was 1981. That’s when Avenson, a young engineer at the Bell Telephone Company, caught an ad for an event called a Passive ...

Paul and Patricia Grogan, both 81, built an energy-efficient passive solar home near Dublin in the 1970s. After almost 50 years, they're listing the 4-bedroom property for $1.32 million. "There'll be ...

Solar homes generate most of their energy from a combination of solar technologies (e.g., solar panels, solar tubes and solar windows). Most solar homes rely primarily on photovoltaic (PV) solar ...

Jun. 12—Building a passive solar adobe home wasn't the norm in 1982. But studio artist and Zen practitioner Susan Linnell, driven by a desire for efficiency and an interest in architecture, knew what ...

New research shows multifamily passive home projects use significantly less energy than typical apartment buildings in Minnesota. A panel of experts presented the research, funded by the Department of ...

In our latest call for entries, Building Design+Construction collected over 20 multifamily projects with a focus on affordable housing. Here are two developments that are PHIUS-certified and built to ...

John Avenson fell in love with his home more than four decades ago. The year was 1981. That’s when Avenson, a young engineer at the Bell Telephone Co., caught an ad for an event called a Passive Solar ...