One of my favourite Canadians is David Suzuki and he did a portion on one of his TV shows on passively heated homes in Germany. I guess this is a big thing there and it is very popular. No furnace. No boiler. What heats your home? You and your appliances (fridge, etc.) and an aptly-placed heat exchanger. Very, very cool.
Mia
I have come to the conclusion that the top man has one principle responsibility: to provide an atmosphere in which creative mavericks can do useful work.
-- David M. Ogilvy