Simple shapes are easier to insulate, so a simply-shaped house (think Quaker rather than Gehry) will have less heat loss.
That’s what I learned, plus the term “thermal bridge,” which is a place like a corner where you can’t shove in insulation, from this short instructive piece at Treehugger, which notes “it’s a problem that is solved by good design, not more stuff” and that frequently it means spending less money, not more, on construction.
With that, I’m off for a couple days’ hiking in the White Mountains.
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