Heat pumps are revolutionizing home water heating. Now there’s a product that reaches new heights of efficiency and carbon neutrality and can be used in a variety of applications. It’s a split-system CO₂-based heat pump water heater that works even in very cold climates.

Electricity powers virtually all zero energy homes, while most conventionally-built homes use natural gas for space and water heating. Why is that? In a nutshell it has to do with cost, efficiency, and climate change.

Tight homes need efficient, effective ventilation. Until now that has been accomplished by a heat recovery ventilator with an elaborate duct system. Now there is an option that ventilates and recovers heat, without the ducts.

When an architect and an engineer get together to write a book, you know it will be interesting. Better yet if both of them are the same person. Here’s a book that should be on every building and design professional’s bookshelf.

Sam Rashkin, Chief Architect at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building Technologies Office, outlines the case for building and designing zero energy and zero energy ready homes.

Have you ever tried to explain what makes a zero energy building better? It’s harder than it seems to explain a sometimes complicated theory in a clear and compelling way. Sam Raskin, Chief Architect at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building Technologies Office, shares how we can improve zero energy home marketing.

There’s a way to pay for the entire cost of the upgrades needed to take a home all the way to zero energy. Find out how and use our handy cost calculator to estimate the price of your own project.

If you wanted to be called a business genius, you would look to future for the “next big thing,” right? Here’s a hot tip: renewable energy and energy efficiency are the job creators of the future.

Cities, large and small, are taking the lead in reducing carbon emissions and moving rapidly to adopt zero energy policies. 2030 is the target year for many of these urban zero energy initiatives. Now is the time for building professionals to develop the skills they will need to take advantage of this growing trend.

Remember the days of the trusty solar thermal water heater? For single-family homes, there is a newer and cheaper technology - one that even a solar purist can embrace.

Heatspring has given Marc Rosenbaum’s acclaimed class on improving energy efficiency in existing homes a complete technology upgrade. It’s more convenient, cheaper and packed with valuable information for builders and designers alike.

Low-carbon fuels will drive the global economy no matter what happens with Obama’s Clean Power Plan. Renewable energy has become cheaper than fossil fuels in many circumstances, even without accounting for climate change and other externalities. And more states are buying in as a result.