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How to Design an Off-Grid House
Before you go off-grid, think about a few important design issues
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Night Sky Radiation
On a clear, windless night, roofing and window glass can get colder than the outdoor air temperature
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Natural Gas Pipelines Are Leaking
Natural gas is a more potent greenhouse gas than CO2, and some experts say that ‘natural gas is worse than coal’
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All About Earth Tubes
Buried ventilation ducts can provide benefits — as long as you avoid a long list of possible pitfalls
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All About U-Factor
It’s not a simple topic, so get ready to untangle a few knotted threads
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Revisiting Net-Zero Energy
Is the net-zero bar too high or too low?
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The Exterior Rigid Foam is Too Thin!
You bought a house with exterior rigid foam, and you just discovered that the foam is too thin — so now what?
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Does a Passive House Use 90 Percent Less Energy?
Examining an oft-repeated claim about Passive House energy savings
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Two Views of Double-Stud Walls
John Straube and Jesse Thompson talk about double-stud walls and risk
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Who Can Perform My Load Calculations?
Most HVAC contractors don’t know how to do heating load and cooling load calculations — so what’s a homeowner to do?