The fix is in the mix...
The only way I can build a Net Zero energy home that functions well with passive and active solar is to focus on the energy envelope; the R-value of the walls and ceilings, air penetration, solar orientation, exterior color choices and many other details.
If you build new or re-model old structures that require very little energy input to heat or cool, the alternative energy systems not only become affordable to install and pay for themselves quickly, they turn variable expenses into fixed!
But if you take an energy dog home built in the 70s or 80s, that requires a lot of energy input to begin with and make no changes, the alternatives won't help...
Alternative/renewable energy systems should be small and used on a small scale basis. This is true energy independence! Paying taxes and inflated rates so huge corporations can continue to send you a monthly bill is just more of the same and let's you remain a wage slave to make a few people rich at a lot of other people's expense.
The mass media hides this truth, because guess who owns them? The truth is most of the homes and businesses out there need to be torn down and rebuilt, because they were built when we thought oil and coal would last forever and stay cheap... and that's what too many people are in denial about.
