In this lovely and innovative passive solar retrofit, an older adobe home transformed to become an efficient, modern house with a south facing sun room and a south facing two-story Trombe wall. It is also a grid-tied solar electric home that produces enough electricity to have paid for the solar photovoltaic (PV) system within...
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The freedoms of living off-the-grid can be rewarding as well as comfortable. This article focuses on the electrical and active solar systems that augment the efficiency of the previous post that featured the design of the passive solar home. It’s a textbook-perfect passive solar home because they utilized all the design principles of efficient...
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This off-grid, owner-designed and built house is one of the most impressive passive and active solar combinations I’ve seen. Located at an elevation of 9,000 feet in the Colorado mountains, on a windy, snowy January day, after entering the home, I experienced a quiet confidence and a solid feel of warmth and comfort. ...
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One of the most creative entries into the 2011 Solar Decathlon was the collaborative brainchild from the Southern California Institute of Architecture and the California Institute of Technology. They impressed Solar Decathlon visitors with an affordable, efficient, practical and futuristic CHIP house. The name CHIP is the shortened version of Compact Hyper-Insulated Prototype. Working...
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This passive solar home was submitted by Brian Knight of Springtime Homes. It is an efficient, passive and active solar home with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. Constructed with SIPs (Structured Insulated Panels) it boasts a HERS rating of 47, making it an efficient home with a tightly insulated envelope. Two different, but...
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The team from Middlebury College built a passive and active solar home called Self-Reliance that performed well and was awarded 1st place in the Market Appeal competition in the 2011 Solar Decathlon. Inspired by Ralph Waldo Emerson, not only would this have been an ideal home for the philosopher, it is perfect for anyone looking to realize the freedoms within...
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The Victoria University of Wellington designed and built a New Zealand weekend home for this year’s Solar Decathlon. Called ‘”First Light” and lovingly referred to a “Bach” – pronounced (batch), the home won the Engineering and Energy Balance contests and clenched a podium finish as 3rd overall. Not bad for their first Solar Decathlon...
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It was after nightfall as I walked down the sidewalk when a glistening bright red car caught my eye. Being in Washington D.C. for the 2011 Solar Decathlon, like a kid in a candy store, I instantly salivated at the sight of shiny, new, technological gadgets. I went back to Tesla Motors during the...
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Ever wanted to escape from it all, yet have the comforts of modern living? Appalachian State University built a house that has the best outdoor living space in the Solar Decathlon. The 1000 square foot deck has as much space as the 1000 square foot home. Inspired by the pioneering spirit of those that...
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Because this house is located in Colorado, a state with over 300+ sunny days a year, the home owner is capitalizing on the sun’s relatively stable energy source and using it to provide both electricity and heat. The passive solar house boosts its efficiency with active solar photovoltaics (PV) to create electricity. While the house creates...
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