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A Prefab Passive House in Michigan
This single-family home, nicknamed the “A-Haus,” is the first house in Michigan to be certified by the Passive House Institute U.S. (PHIUS). The striking building is situated on nearly three…
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A Pretty Good House in Southern California
A few years into the housing bust, I started shopping around for a cabin to use as a getaway and vacation rental. I live in San Diego and I set…
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A Passive Solar Home from the 1980s
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…
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A Net-Zero Home in 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…
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Passivhaus on a Budget
When the time came for Jason and Stephanie Specht to find a builder, they started out with high ideals. They wanted a builder who wouldn’t skimp on the quality of…
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A Net-Zero-Energy House for $125 a Square Foot
**By Eric Thomas** We were attracted to an empty south-facing lot, one of the last undeveloped parcels in our neighborhood. Were we naïve to think we could make our dream…
