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Designing a ‘One Knob’ Incentive Program
A proposal for a better way for utilities to subsidize energy-efficiency upgrades
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Think Home Buyers Won’t Pay Extra for Energy Efficiency?
Think again: Studies show that West Coast home buyers are paying a lot more for green features
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How an Efficiency Program Killed My Business
Utility-sponsored rebate programs encourage small jobs — and contractors are discovering that it’s hard to build a successful business on small jobs
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Framing Begins at the Potwine Passivhaus
A discussion of wall and floor framing — and ruminations on design tricks for small homes
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Five Different High-R Walls
Passive House lessons from the Pacific Northwest
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Housewrap Tape Problems
When used to tape horizontal seams, housewrap tape can contribute to water entry problems
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An Insulated Cathedral Ceiling for a European Passivhaus
The rafter bays of the Golcar Passivhaus are insulated with fiberglass batts, and a continuous interior layer of rigid foam reduces thermal bridging
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Placing Concrete for a Passivhaus Foundation
At the Potwine Passivhaus job site, contractors erected a tent to protect the fresh slab from cold temperatures
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Pastiche Architecture
Is it Victorian, Gothic, Colonial, Baroque — or just bad design?
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Cold Weather Slows Progress at the Potwine Passivhaus
Winter is a good time to review plans and specs