The launch of the Nest Learning Thermostat back in October 2011 created a ton of interest in residential thermostats, and the gadget’s been installed in all sorts of green homes (including the C6 Prefab). Today, Nest Labs announced improvements to the new display with an automatic software update that will be pushed to all thermostat owners.
When a large or expensive home is presented on this site, it’s common to get an adverse response from readers requesting that we feature smaller and more affordable homes. Today, I’m going to take that opportunity to share something called the 50/10 House developed by Cellar Ridge Custom Homes and m.o.daby design in Oregon.
It’s time to welcome a new green building protocol with the arrival of the Active House specification in the United States. The specification gets a big test with this home, called Active House USA, which will be the first Active House in the country when finished. It’s designed by Jeff Day & Associates and will be built by Hibbs Homes and Verdatek Solutions in St. Louis to test the new specification in a mixed climate. Here’s a little more about Active House and this 2,500 square foot home.
California-based SolarCity started out with solar and gradually expanded to energy efficiency services. Now, with more than 5,000 efficiency projects completed or underway, the company wants to help the typical U.S. family save some of about $1,900 that’s spent every year on home utility bills. The company just announced a plan to make energy-efficiency improvements more accessible with a new Home Energy Loan.
This is the Far Reach House and Gold Award winner in the 2012 EnergyValue Housing Awards by the NAHB Research Center. The program honors builders and remodelers who incorporate energy efficiency in the design, construction, and marketing of their homes, and this home was built in Olympia, Washington by Scott Homes with some high-performance features to go with a traditional design.
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