The complete source for building, designing, and remodeling green homes
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Green Roofs Could Reduce Heat-Related Deaths
Heat waves aren’t just a source of discomfort. They’re the nation’s deadliest weather hazard, accounting for a fifth of all deaths caused by natural hazards in the U.S. Most of…
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Ventilation for Passive House Multifamily Projects, Part 2
In climates with significant heating or cooling seasons, Passive House projects must have a balanced heat-recovery or energy-recovery ventilation system. These systems use a heat exchanger to transfer heat and…
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Saving Sustainably: Shingling the Roof
Editor’s note: This is one in a series of blogs detailing the construction of a net-zero energy house in Point Roberts, Washington, by an owner/builder with relatively little building experience.…
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Solar Panels Don’t Make Good Roads
Four years ago, a viral campaign wooed the world with a promise of fighting climate change and jump-starting the economy by replacing tarmac on the world’s roads with solar panels.…
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Ventilation for Passive House Multifamily Projects, Part 1
Project teams pursuing Passive House certification frequently ask, “Where do we locate the heat- or energy-recovery ventilator?” When the Passive House concept is scaled to a multifamily program, the answer…
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What I Learned With WUFI Modeling Software
Thermodynamics drive every aspect of living and non-living systems, including building envelopes. Our designs are constantly affected by moisture and heat. The effects of rain, sun, breathing, bathing, and cooking…
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California’s Push for Carbon-Free Electricity
California Governor Jerry Brown has signed a new law mandating that the electricity the state consumes not cause carbon emissions by 2045. He also issued an executive order that goes…
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Can Sustainability Be Affordable?
What a difference the birth of a granddaughter can make. For Lee Scott, who ran Walmart from 2000 to 2009, the arrival of his granddaughter not only convinced him the…
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Can California Decarbonize Electricity Without Improving Building Energy Codes?
As California’s policymakers celebrate SB100, a landmark bill that requires utilities to deliver carbon-free electricity by 2045, the details on how this will be delivered are yet to be disclosed.…
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Frugal Happy: Vaulting the Ceiling
Editor’s Note: This post is one of a series by Chris Stratton and Wen Lee, a husband-and-wife team living in the Los Angeles area who are turning their 1963 suburban…
