While home ownership remains an important goal for many, the ongoing operational cost of living in that home can be a real eye opener. Beyond the expected mortgage payments and property taxes, new homeowners are often shocked by the high energy bills for heating and…
Becoming eco-friendly has become a priority for many homeowners who are considering upgrading or retrofitting their dwelling. It is understandable, as everyone is more conscious about their impact on the environment. And the truth is that many eco-friendly decisions also end up saving you money…
Make no mistake, your solar panel setup is a sturdy piece of technology that should only be handled and maintained by your solar provider—at least when it comes to repairs, replacements, and electrical maintenance. However, this doesn’t mean that you, as the owner, cannot contribute…
These days, technology is prevalent everywhere. It may be in our pockets, on our wrists, in our cars and—unsurprisingly—may be found throughout our homes. With the right suite of tech accessories, all you have to do is tap a button on your smartphone or tablet…
Lost beneath the Model 3 electric vehicle messaging in Tesla's Second Quarter 2017 Update newsletter to its investor community last week, the company quietly announced its solar roof product had progressed to the real-world testing stage on a number of homes. In much the same…
High clerestory windows are a common design detail on residential and commercial structures. But in the architectural case of the under-construction metro Dallas store for green retailer TreeHouse, clerestory windows are not merely details, they are applied in five massive, building-wide swaths below the building's…
Call it the Tesla triumvirate. It’s no accident that Tesla drivers visiting the future metro Dallas location of green home improvement retailer TreeHouse will be able to rapidly recharge their electric automobiles from a bank of on-site Tesla Superchargers while they shop a solar-powered store graced…
Metal surfaces have earned a well-deserved reputation as the leading roofing choice on today’s sustainable architecture homefront, and for good reasons. The benefits of these roofs are many, including an extremely long service life, near-zero maintenance, increased safety through fire resistance, higher energy efficiency, and…
As a living, breathing laboratory venue for Digitized.House Magazine, our lab home will open its green doors for an exclusive tour on October 15, which will be hosted by our colleagues at Green For A Reason. Located in the village of Driftwood, Texas—just outside of…
Pingo Solar intends to make solar purchasing transactions more frictionless and less costly for homeowners, by launching an easily-navigable do-it-yourself (DIY) online platform and effectively removing salespeople from the process. The platform, which was officially launched on July 4, provides an alternative to the traditional…
A collaborative effort of Barley|Pfeiffer Architecture and Ray Tonjes Builder, this end-to-end makeover of a 1970s ranch home earned an Austin Energy Green Building Program 5-Star rating. This high-performance home, located in the Balcones neighborhood of Austin, Texas, will be a featured stop on the…
Islands of disconnected technology can often be found in today’s high-performance homes. That rings true with one of the core renewable energy systems that typically enable zero-energy homes—that of a rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) installation—which can often be relegated to the smart-home equivalent of a…
It’s a storyline that plays out over and over again on bright sunny days, where homeowners with grid-connected solar arrays can become energy producers for their neighbors. From these high-performance, inherently energy-efficient homes, excess electricity flows instantly onto the grid whenever rooftop energy production exceeds usage,…
Part 2 in our series on managing and monitoring energy production and consumption in your home, apartment, or flat. David Allen, the noted author and personal productivity guru, once wrote: “Your ability to generate power is directly proportional to your ability to relax.” Now, I…
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