Since ancient times, people have found ways to use the sun’s heat to stay warm or keep cool. They built homes from clay and other materials that hold heat well, and they placed them in ways that ...

A passive solar-heated home needs no solar panels to heat or cool it. Rather, the energy used to heat and cool a house comes directly from the sun through skylights and windows. Some of that energy is ...

Passive cooling, like the shade a tree provides, has been around forever. Recently, researchers have been exploring how to turbo charge a passive cooling technique — known as radiative or sky cooling ...

• Hot-water usage: Since the more hot water you use the more money you save with a solar heating system, large households will save a lot more by going solar. For example, a family of four will save a ...

The solar heating system on Nick Glumac's home in Morgan Park may look elaborate, but the idea behind it is simple: It's like putting a coat on your house, he says. "In the winter, what do you do for ...

Solar water heaters work by absorbing sunlight in solar collectors and saving the heated water in a storage tank. Both active and passive solar water heaters are available. Active systems are ...

From a distance, the energy system on top of a college residence hall in Omaha, Nebraska looks like photovoltaic panels. But as you get closer, it becomes clear that this is something different, with ...

Stacy is a journalist and content creator with six years of experience writing about home improvement topics. Besides Forbes Home she has contributed her work and expertise to publications such as ...

Solar panels vs heat pumps? Both types of renewable energy systems can reduce your carbon footprint, improve your home’s energy efficiency and save you money on your energy bills. Don't miss the ...