What about cooling? Is that an A/C compressor just partially visible in the very first picture?

I'm an old fogey, so some of the things you have done, while quite nice, are not to my taste.

I think of the story of the really modern/exotic house, all glass, planes, angles and stainless steel in the middle of the very old, conservative neighborhood, where the owner put a sign in the lawn saying "Well, I don't like your house either!"

My house is not a passive house, but my climate is so temperate (average daily high temperatures range from 76 degrees F [24 degrees C] in the coldest months to 86 degrees F [30 degrees C] in the warmest months) that my total heating/cooling annual expense is less than $50 USD. That's for two months of A/C for just a couple hours a day, no heating. If it weren't for floor to ceiling window walls on three of the four outside walls, we wouldn't have the A/C at all.

Total annual electric bill is about $350--$400, of which the computers (mine and SWMBO's) account for more than half.

It looks like a nice, very well constructed house, where your garage probably encompasses more space under roof than my whole house! Congratulations.

tanstaafl.

EDIT: Sorry, I mis-spoke. I took those numbers from memory, but after plugging data into my hammer uhhh... Excel (I record my meter readings daily) my annual cost with two months part-time A/C is $197. Let's add 25% to that because I am basing it on the past two months usage which are atypical because SWMBO has been in California getting her knee replaced.

Call it $250 per year. I could reduce that by two thirds, to $80 per year by installing solar panels, but the amortization time would be 65.6 years, allowing for 3% annual inflation. Not practical at my age.

db