Even diehard Instagrammers admit it: Sometimes the best design is in what you don’t see. Such is the case with passive solar design, an approach to building that—in a nutshell—uses a house’s site, ...

This autumn, the 120-year-old design school will be adding a comprehensive, highly interactive course to its already robust Sustainable Design Institute online offerings, focusing in on the core ...

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... The house is cool, but most homes are these days, in the sweltering summer heat. Here, though, it should be hot. Or at least, the air-conditioning should be ...

Sonya Newenhouse’s Wisconsin-based, 968-square-foot passive solar home is 80 percent more energy-efficient than the average U.S. home. Building a home with near-zero winter heating costs may sound ...

A new study demonstrates a way to adapt the so-called Trombe wall -- a passive solar building design from the 19th century -- to not only heat but also cool buildings, while drastically reduce ...

Renewable energy technologies are advancing. However, building inefficiency, HVAC loads and the urban heat island effect ...

One of the benefits of living in the Wild West is our abundant sunshine. An advantage for home builders in Denver is that Colorado averages over 300 sunny days per year; Arizona and New Mexico have ...

The need for sustainable and healthy living has never been more urgent than it is today. With the rising threat of climate change and the growing concern for public health, we need to consider how we ...

Orient the long axis of the house in an east-west direction. Locate habitable rooms on the south side of the house for greater comfort while putting utility rooms, bathrooms, closets, and hallways on ...

Dear Jim: We have a large family and use much hot water. I cannot afford to have a solar water heating system installed, but I would like to make some type of solar water heater myself. What do you ...

Passive solar heating and cooling was omitted from the interesting article on "Building Green" (C&EN, July 16, page 11). This technique can save 50% of the heating and cooling costs of a home in the ...