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Comparing North American Window Frames to European Frames
Thin North American window frames with a high U-factor sometimes perform about the same as European window frames with a lower U-factor
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Roof Sheathing and Window Bucks for the Potwine Passivhaus
The home’s roof trusses have enough room for 2 feet of insulation
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Program Details of the One Knob Proposal
Can we envision a better incentive program for residential energy-efficiency improvements?
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Setting Roof Trusses at the Potwine Passivhaus
Once all of the wall SIPs were fastened in place, it was time to install the roof trusses
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Hard Truths of Home Performance
Residential energy retrofit work isn’t cost-effective
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Presumptive European Superiority Syndrome
Triple-glazed windows from Europe don’t always outperform triple-glazed windows from our side of the Atlantic Ocean
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An Affordable Zero-Energy House in Massachusetts
The shape is compact, the windows are few, and the thermal envelope is extremely tight
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Living in a Passivhaus
We’ve enjoyed comfortable interior temperatures and relative humidity, plenty of fresh air, and very low energy bills
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Attaching SIPs to Structural 2×6 Studs
The 14-inch-thick walls at the Potwine Passivhaus were built by attaching SIPs to load-bearing 2×6 walls
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The ‘Low-Hanging Fruit’ Fallacy
Small weatherization jobs that aim to pick the ‘low-hanging fruit’ seldom deliver remarkable results