For the past ten years, "The Passive Solar House" has offered proven techniques for building homes that heat and cool themselves, using readily available materials and methods familiar to all building contractors and many do-it-yourself homeowners. True to this innovative, straightforward approach, the new edition of this best-selling guide includes CSOL passive solar design software, making it easier than ever to heat your home with the power of the sun.

Since "The Passive Solar House" was first published, passive solar construction expert James Kachadorian has perfected user-friendly, PC-compatible software to help readers analyse the efficiency of their passive solar house designs and the solar potential of their current homes or building sites. This is the building book for a world of climbing energy costs. Applicable to diverse regions, climates, budgets, and styles of architecture, Kachadorian's techniques translate the essentials of timeless solar design into practical wisdom for today's solar builders. Profiles of successful passive solar design, construction, and retrofit projects from readers of the first edition provide inspiration to first-time homebuilders and renovators alike.

Learning how to construct more environmentally friendly buildings is increasingly a commercial and legal necessity. This handbook provides a detailed reference for environmentally concerned purchasers of building products, and complements perfectly the first handbook. Following the format of the original, this book begins with an overview and introduction by Professor Tom Woolley discussing issues in green building before moving on to consider eight building component types: fencing products, flat roofing membranes, glazing products, electrical wiring, adhesives, straw bale building, interior decoration and indoor air quality and ventilation. The book should be of particular interest to surveyors, architects, local authorities, property managers, housing associations, contractors, and students of building science, architecture, surveying, housing and environmental health.