3 min read
Why Rising Energy Costs Make Smarter Housing a No-Brainer
Timothy Lorang: Jul 29, 2025, 9:36:02 AM
What a recent Ezra Klein episode reveals about cost, permitting, and how to rebuild faster
Simplus Systems Blog
Information, news, and insights about Passive Homes,
construction, and design.
architects
4 min read
Wildfire Resilient Homes: Safe Indoor Air with Passive House Design
Timothy Lorang: Jul 6, 2025, 8:45:33 AM
When a wildfire hits, most people worry about flames. But smoke is often both the immediate killer and the more pervasive, long-lasting...
4 min read
Wildfire Resilient Homes: Fireproofing with MgO Panels That Don’t Burn
Timothy Lorang: Jul 6, 2025, 8:43:01 AM
When it comes to wildfires, speed is everything. Fires can jump highways, level homes in minutes, and spread from building to building like dominoes....
3 min read
The 3 Simple Steps to Maximize Energy Efficiency Without Increasing Costs
Tim Sweeney: Apr 3, 2025, 6:57:37 AM
The Way Forward The way we design and construct buildings today will shape the future of our planet.
1 min read
‘Passive House Design’ could be the future of sustainable living
Timothy Lorang: Feb 16, 2024, 10:24:18 AM
After Tim Sweeney after his presentation of "Before It's Too Late," at the Nevada AIA Luncheon, KOLO 8 Reporter Taylor Burke interviewed Tim about...
6 min read
What do MgO + Passive House™ Panels Really Cost vs Wood Framing?
Tim Sweeney: Sep 12, 2023, 4:00:00 AM
One of the most common questions we hear is “OK, so what will it really cost me?”
1 min read
What are "Embodied Carbon" and a "Carbon Footprint"?
Tim Sweeney: Jun 23, 2023, 2:40:31 PM
Homes, like any building, use materials when they are built, and materials need to be obtained from many sources in many ways. Making materials means...
1 min read
What is the Best Energy Design Software for a Green Home or Building?
Tim Sweeney: Jun 23, 2023, 1:56:59 PM
Opinions of what’s the “Best” software depends upon whom you’re talking to. What’s actually being used typically depends upon the preference of the...
2 min read
What are "SIPs" and Which Are the "Best" SIPs?
Eduardo Semoto: Jun 23, 2023, 1:56:09 PM
Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) are factory-fabricated panels that can be used as load bearing walls, floors, roofs, and decks for practically any...
2 min read
What Does A "Green" or "Sustainable" Home Really Cost?
Tim Sweeney: Jun 23, 2023, 1:55:04 PM
Firstly, your Green or Sustainable Home does not have to look like something from another world. In fact, if you're correctly controlling costs, it...
2 min read
So, Why Should I Have a “Green” or “Sustainable” House or Building?
Tim Sweeney: Jun 9, 2023, 9:26:00 AM
Being “Green” means being truly “Sustainable”. Something that is “Sustainable” is something you can do for a long period of time without “excessive”...
5 min read
How to Choose the Best “Green” House or Apartment
Tim Sweeney: May 16, 2023, 9:30:00 PM
What makes the “Best Green” anything? Maybe the hardest thing to know is which thing is really “Best”. There are so many possibilities that it really...