That's what they refer to as the "secret" in this article about a passive house in frigid Minnesota. But you knew that already, right? Check out what they're using for a heating system, and they don't plan on using it much. It sure does pay to invest in the building envelope.

Check out this video of a passive house in another pretty cold spot - Syracuse, New York. Note the mention of the hair dryer, once again. I should let my hair grow. Get warm.

I loved playing with those when I was a kid. It looks like solar PV may be going that way (well, sort of). Here, read this and you'll see what I mean.

Here are some thoughts (and statistics) on the decline of floor heating in the U.K. from the most-respected trade magazine over there. They've been at it for 30 years and it's still a small piece of the pie. There are some interesting comments about distribution toward the end of the article.

Here's a case study, also from the U.K., which has a good description and great photos of how the heat from the district plant enters the houses, and how folks pay for what they use. I think we'll be seeing this in the U.S. before long.

A few weeks back, I told you a story about how the officials turn off everyone's water for a few weeks during the summer in Moscow so they can repair the Soviet-era district heating system (which is also the domestic hot water system). Well, here's some good news, not everyone had their system shut down, as you can see here. Some fun, eh?

Proving once again that vodka and water don't mix well outside of a glass, we have this story. I love the part about the teacher being stewed. Poor kids.

Been quite a summer, hasn't it? Well, here's a cool article for you from a woman who's chillin' (literally!) in New Zealand. Note what she has to say about the construction of their homes. Brrr!

This is a fascinating video. I can just imagine what New Yorkers would be able to do to it. Thanks to Kurt Massa for sharing this with us.