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 ...

Passive solar architecture is a design strategy that optimizes a building’s energy efficiency and long-term sustainability. By relying on a building site’s solar orientation and climate, sustainable ...

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 ...

The passive-house building standard relies on lots of insulation and intentional design to use as little energy as possible for heating and cooling. "Things like 'passive house' have become more ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Clear Heart Redwood ceilings line the main level of the home. Cameron Carothers/Carothers Photo for Sotheby’s International Realty The 3,700-square-foot abode has an unconventional layout with four ...

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 ...