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Selecting Sunrooms for Coastal Homes
You can now get a prefabricated sunroom that will satisfy nearly every design and budget. But you have to work with the manufacturer to make sure you get what you and your customers want. Our guide to...
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Efficiency Dos and Don'ts From an Energy Nerd
With high fuel prices here to stay, now is the time to get it right.
View ArticleHeating With Dogs
Let's talk about a terrific new alternative-energy source that can save you up to $4 billion a year on your home heating bills.
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Installing a Vacuum-Tube Solar Collector
These highly efficient systems are a good choice in cloudy or cold climates.
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Drywall back-blocking in action; A-frame appreciation; hard workers in California; more
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Noise-muffling floor underlayment; dramatic roof windows; natural-looking composite siding; manufactured moment frame; more
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Anti-sweat valve for toilets; cold-weather spray foam; solar-powered dimmer for tubular skylights; standard-width high-performance range; faux slate roofing; more
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Innovative Products 2009
A roundup of tools and materials found on the floor at JLC Live in Providence, R.I .
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Retrofitting a High-Tech Heating System
This design uses a gas boiler and solar thermal collectors as heat inputs, and incorporates an HRV into the air handler.
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TVA-ORNL Project Provides a Window on the Payback of Energy Upgrades
Study finds that modest upgrades in insualtion and HVAC equipment dramatically reduce energy use in warm, humid climates.
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Super-Insulated Tank for Heating Fluid Storage
Wouldn't it be nice to store excess heat generated by solar panels and biomass boilers in summer for heating during the winter? Here's a stab at a tank designed for the purpose.
View ArticleJLC Report: Passive House Seeks Broader Appeal
Passive House seeks broader appeal; proposed code changes stir controversy in North Carolina; more
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Building a Simple Passive House
In September 2009 I completed a deep energy retrofit on a small house in Point Reyes Station, Calif., some 50 miles north of San Francisco.
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Hydronic Heating for Low-Load Houses
With the right hardware and layout, hot-water heating saves energy and makes ideal use of the sun.
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Builder's Guide to Windows
There are more than 100 million homes and approximately 20 billion square feet of clear-glass residential windows in the U.S. Most of those homes are more than 30 years old, and as a result, the...
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Low-E Window Film
Instead of replacing a sound single-pane window, consider adding Solar Gard Silver AG 50 Low-E Window Film.
View ArticleWhen to Use a Heat-Pump Water Heater
Q: A customer wants me to install one of the new heat-pump water heaters in the ground-floor utility room of a house built on a slab. I don't have any direct experience with them, but since they work...
View ArticleMaine Passive House Builder Tweaks His Package
Chris Corson is working on another Passive House — this time, with a more ample budget, and a more complex design.
View ArticleSteam Heat vs. Hydronic Heat
A reader ponders whether to stick with steam or convert to hydronic.
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Easily Add Solar To Tile Roofs with QuickMount PV
The maker's QBase Universal Tile Mount works with flat or curved tiles
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