Green Homes

Recent Features

Modern Dream Home is Energy-Positive

May 21, 2015 | Climate Zone 4C, Seattle, Washington

A Seattle couple spent two years searching for their dream home before deciding to build a new custom home. They turned to zero-energy-home builder Ted Clifton, Jr., who built them a modern two-story house with a mother-in-law suite and views of Lake Washington from the rooftop deck.

Clifton, the owner of of TC Legend Homes, calls the home a “positive energy home” — one that produces more energy than the home itself consumes. In fact, the home should produce enough electricity to power an electric car with the charging station set up in the garage.

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High-End Green in the Hamptons

Dec 9, 2014 | Climate Zone 4, Sagaponack, New York

By Richard Stott

The Hamptons are flush with poorly built, energy hog spec homes on an acre or two. Many of these homes have huge lawns, pools, tennis courts, and koi ponds. Most are thankfully hidden by tall privet hedges. Of course, the Hamptons are also known for some of the most extravagant and well-built residences in the world. All of these estates, well-built or not, require an army of maintenance workers to keep them tidy and presentable.

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A Passive Solar Home from the 1980s

Feb 25, 2014 | Boulder, Colorado

Back in the early 1980s, I built a 1,480-square-foot passive solar home in Boulder, Colorado. There have been substantial improvements in active solar equipment since then. But today’s passive solar design principles are quite similar to the principles preached in the early 1980s. Solar energy provides almost all the winter heating and hot water for this home. The cost savings I achieved by eliminating a central heating system were invested in thermal massHeavy, high-heat-capacity material that can absorb and store a significant amount of heat; used in passive solar heating to keep the house warm at night. , additional insulation, and better glazingWhen referring to windows or doors, the transparent or translucent layer that transmits light. High-performance glazing may include multiple layers of glass or plastic, low-e coatings, and low-conductivity gas fill., so no additional construction costs were incurred compared to conventional construction.

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A Net-Zero Home in Massachusetts

Dec 17, 2013 | Shelburne, Massachusetts

Before we met, my clients had spent considerable time researching how to build a net-zero home. They read product literature, studied the economics, understood the benefits, and had a pretty intelligent understanding of construction methods and materials. This body of knowledge became the starting point for our discussions and direction.