Passive solar home designs are commonplace in Europe and they are even becoming code standard in certain European countries. Ignoring and not using a passive solar house design is throwing money out the window for the life of the home and adding to the carbon footprint and pollution problem we face. The Passive House standard is becoming code in some European areas. To dismiss utilization of passive solar in Zone 4+ climates is foolish.

Our early ancestors used passive solar hundreds and even thousands of years ago. Native American Indians utilized it to survive harsh winters and cool off in hot summers.

Today with scientific methodology one can design a good passive house design that will reduce your heating loads during winter. The new 2015 PHIUS standards will also reduce your cooling loads in summer. It's a win-win situation. Passive solar science works and ignoring it is silly.

Passive Solar can absolutely work; no question. But it works best when combined with the Passive House approach. By the way - the German name Pasive Haus, anglicized here to "Passive House" has no relation to the term "passive soiar". In a "passive solar" house solar rays & heat are collected "passively" through glass as opposed to fan based rock bed storage and the like; Passive House designates a house, meeting PH requirements, where the owner's don't have to actively do anything to heat the house such as open & close shades or window shutters which are sometimes used in "passive solar".

Jeez. Motorized thermal shades. An electric eye. Now I need to automate fridge-to-sofa beer delivery.

It's no joke really. PH window standards would blow a hole in The Donald's construction budget. If you get efficiency in window treatments vs windows, what's the difference 'cept bragging rights and the megabucks saved?