Switch to solar with a system built for you. There isn’t a strict definition for what makes a home "solar" — it just has to use energy from the sun in some capacity. If you’re building a new home, it ...

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 ...

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, ...

As one of the most beautiful states in the country, Maine offers an infinite number of advantages. But the state’s notoriously frigid winters often leave new residents desperate to find some respite ...

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 ...

Whole Sun Designs specializes in residential and commercial solar installations, solar thermal, passive solar home design and hydronic radiant flooring heating systems. It offers products from ...

As a former realtor, general contractor and greenhouse operator, Kristi has touched nearly all aspects of homeownership, from the foundation up. Today, Kristi is a full-time investing and real estate ...

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 ...

When it comes to renewable energy at home, solar panels are often the first option that comes to mind, leaving homeowners with the choice between monocrystalline or polycrystalline solar panels, and ...

Q We're hoping to buy a large lot soon and eventually build a retirement home there. Any tips for picking a good site that will let us use many of the passive solar principles you have written about?

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 ...

Upcoming Solar Decathlon contest will judge 20 solar-powered homes built by college students. MIT's entry is already under construction. Photos: MIT's solar house Martin LaMonica is a senior writer ...