That heat is then transferred to the old stone walls underneath. From there, the stone slowly radiates the warmth into the interior, keeping it around 70°F even as night temperatures drop to 25°F. A wood-burning stove compensates for cloudy days. (For the thermally-savvy, the polycarbonate has a U value of 1.1 W/m²K).

A deck is located off the dining area.

The house has a small environmental footprint. SHED built it using advanced framing, a technique that cuts down on the use of lumber by 30 percent. Another benefit of the method is that it prevents heat from escaping the home, making it more energy-efficient. Additionally, the architects installed a high-efficiency boiler that preheats water with rooftop solar panels; a heat recovery ventilation system that efficiently controls the climate; and a rainwater retention tank that conserves water.

The rest of the building is insulated with recycled cotton—4.75 inches in the walls, almost 8 inches in the roof—to keep the interior temperature stabilized.

During summer, the sun is too high above the home to heat the polycarbonate: the plastic simply reflects the light—and its energy—back into the atmosphere. In fact, during the summer the stone wall absors the interior's excess heat and releases it into an air gap—about 2-4 inches wide—between it and the polycarbonate. The home's furniture is economical: the table seen here is just a wood board stabilized on two A-frames.

Chicago Net Positive Home (Kipnis Architecture + Planning) Architect Nathan Kipnis’ plans utilized super-tight construction, skylights, and carefully calibrated air flow to increase natural light and ventilation while lowering energy usage. Landscape designer Julia Bunn enlivened the 400-square-foot roof with a green rooftop garden.

The David and Lucile Packard Foundation Headquarters (Los Altos, California: 2012) The forward-thinking headquarters of the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, created in 2012, embodies the vision and mission of the philanthropic concern, a reflection of the Hewlett-Packard founder’s passion for the environment and technology. An angular grid of configurable office suites encircling an open courtyard, the Bay Area site reflects the region, sporting salvaged wood, local stone, and a red cedar exterior. And while the structure itself, a Net Zero Energy Building that earns LEED Platinum certification, is impressive, the architects at EHDD did one better by shaping culture as well as space. An energy audit revealed that the staff’s emissions were generated mostly from transportation, so EHDD added video conferencing suites and a shuttle to pick up staff from the nearby rail station. Photo by Jeremy Bitterman

With temperatures exceeding 100 degrees in the summer, energy-efficient climate control was central to the design.

The Lai family—Mayuko, baby Shota on her lap, David, Maya, and Yumi sitting on a cushion on the deck—relaxes in their indoor-outdoor living space, made by opening the glass sliding doors to connect the living room and engawa deck.

The most sustainable element of all is the Lais’ intention to make their first home their last home as well. “Some people have this mentality of getting a starter house, then upgrading from there,” David says. “We just wanted to find a place to live in and then stay there forever.” Eventually they imagine passing the home down to their children.

Dishwasher with Window by KitchenAid, $2,049 - In addition to reducing energy consumption by 13 percent, the dishwasher uses 35 percent less water than average.

Material continuity speaks to both minimalist modernism and to simplifying costs: Cedar was used throughout, on the interior walls and ceilings, on the roof, and as exterior cladding. Photo by Shai Gil.

Moore has been using the so-called beetle-kill pine in his projects for years. In the Damianos’ house, he lined the floors, ceiling, cabinetry, and walls of the second-story living area, white-washing the planks “to let a little more sunlight bounce around the room.”

An energy-efficient TPO membrane covers the living room’s zigzag roof.

Eric Schneider and Michael Chen take in the space-efficient renovation.

High Efficiency Laundry Center by Frigidaire, from $1,399 - Shown in Classic Slate, the unit has an ultra-fast spin cycle to extract more water from clothes, thereby shortening drying time.

On all three aboveground levels of the house, outdoor spaces feature as prominently as indoor ones. The backyard is lined with tiered concrete boxes for planting vegetables; the modest top floor—which houses the master bedroom—has a deck wrapping three sides; and in the middle, a 770-square-foot green roof extends off the living area. Don't miss a word of Dwell! Download our FREE app from iTunes, friend us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter!

This house for a family of four in Kamakura, near Tokyo, was the first in Japan to receive Passive House certification, an international standard for energy-efficient housing. It was designed by Mori and completed in 2009.

Flywheel Energy Storage Flywheels are discs or cylinders that spin on an axis in a frictionless enclosure to store power in the form of kinetic energy. When demand for power rises, the spinning can be slowed to release energy to the grid. The advantages of flywheel storage include long life and low maintenance.

If energy from renewables can be stored and dispatched to the grid during periods of peak demand, solar and wind would become more cost-effective and simpler to scale.

The Damianos’ house, located in Denver’s Highland neighborhood, runs completely on solar energy.

Double Door-In-Door Refrigerator by LG, $5,999 - To reduce cold air loss, the 34-cubic-foot refrigerator has a special double door system that allows easy access to favorite items.

Signature Series Sottile refrigerator by Perlick, from $3,000 - The Energy Star-certified under-counter refrigerator is UL-approved for outdoor use and has stainless-steel doors.

Conserve water and energy by swapping your regular kitchen and bathroom taps for more efficient faucets.

Prestige Series Condensing Tankless Water Heater by Rheem, $1,200 - The appliance heats water on demand—no extra energy is expended to keep a tank full of H2O hot.

HybridCare Duet dryer with Heat Pump Technology by Whirlpool, $1,899 - The Energy Star–certified, high-efficiency, electric dryer is ventless—excellent for apartment dwellers—and has a hefty capacity of 7.3 cubic feet.

In front, the hood is likewise broadened. The “airblades” on the left and ride side are more than sleek design flourishes. Together, they efficiently channel air to the car's intercooler.

The living room retains the home’s original, poured terrazzo floors. There are oversize Fleetwood sliding glass doors on both sides. Most of the original doors have been upgraded to newer, energy-efficient glass, but their size and placement match what was original to the home.

“The physics are well known: You move mass against the force of gravity and with the force of gravity to either store or release energy.”—Jim Kelly

Advanced Rail Energy Storage Based in Santa Barbara, California, Advanced Rail Energy Storage has devised a system that draws energy from the grid to push a train of weighted cars uphill. When demand spikes, the cars are sent downhill, sending power back to the grid by using the turning power of the wheels on each car to generate electricity.

Water-saving dishwasher In the kitchen, the dishwasher is the largest source of water use, and dishwashers made before 1994 waste more than 10 gallons of water per cycle. Energy Star certified dishwashers employ soil sensors and more efficient jets to maximize cleaning while minimizing water use.

Ichijo USA is pursuing new, highly energy efficient projects elsewhere. They will be building all future homes to a level of energy efficiency which is less than half that required by the Washington State Energy Code, and are looking at zero net energy projects beyond zHome. Having a major player, such as Ichijo, in the regional builder mix setting that type of standard would have been unimaginable just three or four years ago. Photo courtesy of Daniel Umbach Architect and Ichijo USA.

Rian and Melissa Jorgensen's 2 Bar House in Menlo Park boasts all the usual green design suspects: energy-efficient lighting, good insulation, renewable material finishes, radiant heat, and the roof is pre-wired for future PV panels. Still, one of the homeowner's favorite aspect of green design is the living roof planted with succulents, aloe, viviums, and ice plants.

Slide-In Induction Chef Collection range with Flex Duo oven by Samsung, $3,699 - Developed in tandem with renowned chefs, the induction range features a single oven that can be divided into two separate temperature zones if desired.

The Seahs love to cook, so wanted maximum counter space as well as plenty of storage. They had to sacrifice two drawers and two cabinets in order to accommodate a microwave and an oven. Virtually all of their appliances are energy-efficient models.