Green Homes

Recent Features

An Old House Gets a Superinsulation Retrofit

Apr 5, 2009 | Arlington, Massachusetts

What started out as a relatively straightforward re-siding project on this 80-year-old duplex in Arlington, Mass., ultimately evolved into part of an ambitious superinsulation pilot program for the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) and the regional utility company, NSTAR.

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Sustainable Spec House in Coastal Maine Grabs LEED's Highest Rating

Mar 30, 2009 | Freeport, Maine

The LEED for HomesLeadership in Energy and Environmental Design. LEED for Homes is the residential green building program from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). While this program is primarily designed for and applicable to new home projects, major gut rehabs can qualify. pilot program was just getting started when Wright-Ryan Construction decided to build a spec house as a sort of green-building immersion course for its staff.

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vernacular design is functional and attractive

Energy Comes from the Sun, Wind, and Earth in This Vermont LEED Platinum Home

Mar 23, 2009 | Charlotte, Vermont

Multiple renewable-energy sources help a Vermont home built with more or less conventional methods reach net-zero-energy use

To build a house with no carbon emissions and zero-net-energy use, the owners of this rural home in Vermont employed a strategy embracing alternative energy sources, unusually high insulation values, and conscientious fabrication.

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Seasoned Connecticut Builders' First Green Home Earns LEED Platinum

Mar 16, 2009 | New Milford, Connecticut

Making Sustainable Construction Their Highest Priority Is a Rewarding Experience for Two Brothers

At first glance, it could easily be mistaken for a well-appointed renovation of an early Connecticut farmhouse, but this new home in the Litchfield Hills is actually the first LEEDLeadership in Energy and Environmental Design. LEED for Homes is the residential green building program from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). While this program is primarily designed for and applicable to new home projects, major gut rehabs can qualify. Platinum home in the state. Traditional proportions, cedar clapboards, a partial timber frame, and a standing-seam metal roof are nods to the region's architectural vernacular, though an open design, superinsulated envelope, and both passive and active solar features truly make this a 21st-century home.