Our source of heat rises and sets at a distance of 92,951,640 miles (149,590,787 km).

Six enormous windows will open our house to the sun. It will be heated by passive solar gain from windows and glass doors, along with heat from people and the everyday use of electrical appliances.

We explain this concept at a recent dinner party. A skeptical guest asks, “No furnace? What happens when it hits zero outside?” Suggestions for how to generate heat are offered around the table: invite the neighbors over, get a big dog, make the kids do jumping jacks.  The skeptical guest claps his hands above his head in a modified jack and jokes, “Can I stop now, Mommy, can I stop now?” We are taking some heat.

Here in the Hudson Valley, heating bills can be high. In our last house, the heat source roared beneath the floor boards, puffing fumes and making the iron radiators clank and groan. Oil deliveries excited the children, who liked to watch a man in navy coveralls drag a hose from his truck to our fill pipe. Oil bills excited Mommy and Daddy, adding up to nearly $5,000 a year for a 1,600 sq ft house. The new house, 2,800 sq ft, should cost less than $400 a year to heat. The dinner guests are impressed.

Estimates for super-insulated windows are coming in now. The brands we are exploring include Serious Windows, Thermotech, Inline and Intus.