Save-energy-at-home

The value proposition of solar energy is driving great opportunities for homeowners looking to invest in sustainable power production.  In fact, the average installed cost of a solar PV system completed in 2010 fell by 17% from the prior year, and the cost has also dropped an additional 11% so far in 2011, according to [...]

Hammer & Hand, a design-build firm based in Portland, is getting well-deserved attention for transforming this circa 1905, dilapidated eyesore into an energy-efficient duplex that uses less than $100 per month in energy.  With the help of Scott Edwards Architecture, the team expanded tiny spaces and transformed the lower level to facilitate aging in place. [...]

Tiny houses, big ideas. Italian Job leads to flat-pack housing. Dodge the draft, cut home heating costs. Study: energy codes improve energy efficiency. In Connecticut, making a prefab home their own. Tax plan to green old buildings finds favor. The bicycle crowd. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for updates, article summaries, newsworthy links, and other [...]

KB Home, a publicly-traded home builder with its headquarters in Los Angeles, this month announced the nationwide roll out of net-zero energy home designs called ZeroHouse 2.0.  The standard KB Home with Energy Star certification is built to save homeowners about $1,000 in average annual energy costs, while a ZeroHouse 2.0 design is expected to [...]