This is Sunlight Homes' home/office, built in 2001 on the high desert outside of Albuquerque, New Mexico. The 1489 square foot home/office features passive solar design with distributed mass in the R-35 walls and an R-43 roof.

Also used are Pella's triple pane, Low-E, clad-wood windows an active solar hot water heater with on-demand gas back-up and in-floor radiant heating.

Photovoltaic solar panels on the garage roof (left) convert sunlight to electricity with net metering that sells the extra electricity back to the power company.

Porches and roof overhangs shade the interior of the home in the summer while the thermal mass in the walls, the super insulation and the high performance windows also work to keep the home naturally cooler.

Natural clay plaster covers the interior walls while bamboo floors, recycled glass tile, hardwood cabinets and water- and energy- saving fixtures and appliances finish the interior.