High Performance is an outcome achievable in more than one way.

Many expect there are singularly "best" house plans, construction materials, HVAC equipment or housing styles which repeatedly produce the lowest energy bills. However, when you read my survey articles, you find that a variety of combinations of floor plans, construction materials (including insulation types), HVAC equipment and design styles seem to perform well for their occupants, offering relatively low energy bills. As you view my designs and read in more detail about a few of my best-performing houses, notice they vary in appearance, layout and materials, even though they are all usually very well insulated and daylit, with passive solar features, efficient equipment and lights. Generally, whether new or pre-owned, being designed, remodeled or left as-is, homes using least energy share many details which can be broken into 4 categories:

1) Ideal Siting & Design

Orientation to optimize solar energy & natural ventilation

Location to minimize energy for regular driving

Design for passive solar, natural ventilation, solar water heating

Smallest acceptable building size & conditioned space

Low ratio of exterior surface areas per floor area

Less complicated structures & systems

Owner/occupant participation in planning & design

Commitment to low energy use & pollution

Estimation of energy use & pollution during design & planning

2) Optimal Building Components

Airtightness, high R-value & moisture tolerance

Specs driven to achieve energy performance targets

Low or known & acceptable maintenance requirements

Lower embodied energy during manufacturing & delivery

Less toxic materials & substances, esp. inside the home

Less waste requirements

3) Careful Construction & Proper Installations

Contractors & installers informed about energy & pollution goals

Inspections of energy details during construction

Contractors & installers educated and assisted as needed

Reduced waste during construction

4) Energy Efficient Operations & Upkeep

Minimized energy usage, especially electricity

Daylighting, energy-efficient electric lamps & appliances

Regular assessment of energy use relative to design targets

Least pollution & waste by house operations

Low transportation energy needs

Regular maintenance & systems checks

Least energy, pollution & watering for yard maintenance

My designs are jointly owned by me and my clients, so none are available for resale as-is. Below is a small sample of my past designs. A few of these are presented in more detail. Click "more details" to read more.