The Passive Solar House offers 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, this best-selling guide includes a CD-ROM with 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 analyze 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 of the book provide inspiration to first-time homebuilders and renovators alike.