The global solar energy market has experienced dramatic shifts over the past decade, with trade policies playing an increasingly central role in determining equipment costs. When major economies impose tariffs on solar components, the effects ripple through the entire supply chain, from raw material suppliers to homeowners installing rooftop systems. Understanding these dynamics helps builders, […]
For contractors and builders looking to differentiate their services, Passive House retrofits represent one of the most technically rewarding and increasingly sought-after niches in residential construction. Converting an existing home to meet Passive House standards demands a fundamentally different approach than new construction, requiring careful integration of high-performance building envelope strategies with existing structural conditions.
When a kitchen counter fills with ripening fruit, fruit flies are never far behind. It is a small nuisance that most people solve with a chemical spray or a sticky trap. But a closer look at this everyday problem reveals something surprising about how we approach sustainable living. The same principles that eliminate fruit flies
The push for sustainable housing has found an unexpected but highly effective partner: vocational technical colleges. When the Community Development Authority of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, partnered with nearby Hennepin Technical College (HTC) to build an energy efficient home on city-owned property, the goal was twofold. The project would serve as a teaching tool for students
When Alexi Arango and LeeAnn Kim set out to build a Passivhaus on Potwine Lane in Amherst, Massachusetts, they faced a fundamental question: how do you bring fresh air into a home so tightly sealed that it takes nearly two hours for all the air to leak out? A typical home loses its air in
Why Technical Assistance Is the Missing Link in Green Building Policy Implementation The gap between writing a green building policy and seeing it succeed on the ground is often wider than many policymakers anticipate. As highlighted by New Ecology’s work with the Neighborhood Stabilization Program, even well-intentioned green standards can fall short without a robust
Introduction The transformation of the Philadelphia Navy Yard from a shuttered military facility into a thriving commercial and industrial hub stands as one of the most compelling examples of large scale adaptive reuse in the United States. Spanning 1,200 acres along the Delaware River, this former shipbuilding complex now houses more than 300 businesses, including
Every homeowner has asked themselves at some point: how energy efficient is my home actually? The answer used to be frustratingly vague, but changes to building codes have made it easier to find real answers. Since the 2006 edition of the International Residential Code (IRC), builders have been required to post a permanent certificate on
For an exterior to truly be great, it must be sustainable. The choices builders and designers make about where to build, how to orient a home, and which materials to use all carry significant environmental consequences. A home that lasts longer represents a far better use of the resources that went into its construction. The
Most homeowners start noticing wear and tear after a couple of decades. Grout crumbles, paint peels, roofs leak. But what if your house had already stood for half a millennium? For Paula Sunshine, who lives in a 500-year-old oak-frame home in Suffolk County, England, maintenance is not about modern renovations but about preserving techniques that
