Q: Based on our water bills, my family uses lots of water and much of it is probably hot water. Is there a simple solar hot water system design that I could build myself? A: Heating water can account ...

What if you could harness the power of the sun to generate your own energy—right in your backyard? Imagine a system so efficient it could heat water, power small appliances, or even serve as a backup ...

A passive solar-heated home needs no solar panels to heat or cool it. Rather, the energy used to heat and cool a house comes directly from the sun through skylights and windows. Some of that energy is ...

Switch to solar with a system built for you. Solar thermal energy is the process of concentrating sunlight to generate heat, which can be used to generate electricity or heat a home, its water supply ...

Lee Wallender is a home improvement writer of nearly 20 years and specializes in home remodeling, repair and maintenance. Kristin is a lead editor at Forbes Home and has nearly a decade of ...