Developed for Mother Earth News magazine, this home is a prototype design for classic Prairie style home with integrated passive solar and environmental principals.

The traditional Prairie home style has its roots in the Midwest and is easily recognized by the linear horizontal design, roof overhangs and centrally located fireplaces. This particular house design is optimized for its climate, which encompass areas of the United States with a heating degree-day range of 5,400 to 9,000.The Solar Prairie Home’s orientation and layout help maximize control of the sun year round. The design’s efficient floor plan allows it to be functional while minimizing the amount of conditioned space and construction materials.

Using an energy analysis computer program, the house was modeled and compared to a standard Prairie style home. The software demonstrated that by making these ‘common sense’ and green alterations, the green Prairie home would be at least 50% more energy efficient than a standard comparably sized house.