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A new home design standard that cuts energy costs by 50 percent
When Joe and Rebecca bought their Salt Lake City home ten years ago, they thought they were in for a simple renovation. That is, until they heard about the new Passive House concept.
When Joe and Rebecca bought their Salt Lake City home ten years ago, they thought they were in for a simple renovation. That is, until they heard about the new Passive House concept.
"Our architect, Dave Brach, introduced us to the idea," says Joe. "We always knew we were going to build a home that focused on green principles, but we never imagined we'd completely tear down our existing house and start from scratch to build a Passive House."
But that's exactly what they did. And when you take a look at the facts behind this innovative design concept, it's easy to see why.
So, here's how it works: The Passive House concept refers to a performance-based standard that can be applied to new or existing homes. The key is not so much in the materials, like those used in most green buildings in the U.S., but in the attention to air infiltration, BTU use and total energy consumption. Instead, home positioning is an important factor. By reducing the size and number of north-facing windows, homes get more heat from the sun. It's a simple idea that can have a big impact on the amount of energy used; a home that has met the Passive House standard will use only about 50% of the energy consumed by a house built to the current national building code. Just imagine living in a house that spends half of what the neighbors spend on energy bills. Sounds pretty sweet, doesn't it?
The Passive House standard originated in Germany in 1996 by two scientists, Dr. Wolfgang Feist and Bo Adamson. Feist and Adamson took many of the ideas developed by the people who built the first super-insulated houses in the 1970s, and then improved and refined them with the help of current technology. The movement has only recently made its way to the United States, with Illinois-based architect, Katrin Klingenberg, leading the charge. Today, only a handful of Passive Houses have been built in the United States, but the numbers are growing.
"The key to these homes is that they maintain a comfortable indoor climate without large 'active' mechanical systems, hence the term 'Passive,'" says Katy Hollbacher, a certified Passive House consultant with Beyond Efficiency Inc. "While heating systems generally can't be completely eliminated in a Passive House, they can be drastically downsized and simplified since the building is primarily heated from passive solar gains and internal heat generated from cooking, bathing, lighting, appliances and, actually, just breathing in and out."
It's been seven months since Joe and Rebecca moved into their Passive House, and they're now big believers in the Passive House movement. "Our house is incredibly quiet and comfortable, staying a mild 72 degrees no matter the weather outside," says Joe. "Even our concrete floors stay warm year round."
So, how do you build a Passive House yourself? Check out the design tools and standards published by the Passive House Institute. And to read more about Joe and Rebecca's building journey, log on to www.ourpassivehouse.org.
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Reader comments (Page 1 of 5)
UGLY, NO STYLE. I AGREE WITH THE "NO" NORTH FACING WINDOWS, BUT THAT CAN CERTAINLY BE ACHIEVED WITH SOMETHING THAT HAS AT LEAST SOME EYE APPEAL.
ReplyI agree, Tom. This house is just awful looking. It looks like a Doctors office you don't want to go into.
I would not want to come home to this, give me the energy bill instead.
Agreed! It has all of the charm of a 1950's mobile home.
I totally disagree............. The house is simple and has clean lines. It's the way we American's should have bee living for the past 40 years.ECO FRIENDY AND AFFORDABLE !
Kenny Nash
youtube KENNY NASH "DESIRE"
Well I think the home is beautiful! Think about this one. If you went to go look at any home in American and decided that's the house for you. When you move in it don't you put your touches on the house to make it your own! This maybe sterile looking like the doctors office, but it's a blank canvas to the open-minded. I'LL BUY IT IN A HEART-BEAT! AND ALL OF U WHO LIVE IN THE HOME THAT U COMPLAIN ABOUT(U KNOW WHO U ARE). WHILE THE HEATING BILL GETS LARGER AND LARGER. THE PERSON THAT BUYS THIS HOME WILL LAUGH AT U FOR NOT BUYING BEFORE THEM CAUSE THEY'LL BE SAVING MONEY, WHILE U GO BROKE!! WISH UP PEOPLE THIS IS THE WAY TO GO!!!
YOU NEED TO GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT. I GRADUATED FROM COLORADO TECHNICAL COLLEGE WITH A DEGREE IN SOLAR ENGINEERING 30 YEARS AGO. I ALSO HAVE AN ARCHITECTURE DEGREE SO FOR MY FINAL I DID A PASSIVE SOLAR HOUSE. AT THAT TIME 30 YEARS AGO THERE WERE HUNDREDS OF PASSIVE SOLAR HOUSES IN COLORADO ALONE. SO, WHERE DID YOU GET THIS IDEA OF A HANDFULL OF HOUSES AND IT ONLY STARTED A COUPLE YEARS AGO ? ALSO, THERE IS NO MENTION OF DESIGNING FOR THE SOUTH WHERE WE HAVE OUTRAGIOUS A/C BILLS ? DOWN HERE IN TEXAS WE WANT NORTH FACING WINDOWS AND MINIMIZE SOUTH TO WEST WINDOWS.
Why is the garage on the south and not on the north?
@ALLEN
This is not simply a passive solar house - it's a "passivhaus". It's a design standard set by the Passive House Institue (PHI) in Germany. It incorporates the concept of passive solar heating, but it is a whole building envelope design. The article is desicribing homes that have been certified by the PHI United States.
some of you people must have lost your minds! I dont beleive in golbal warming and i'm not a tree hugger, but, I am a plumber and I started working on solar track homes in the late 70's as a young man I was blown away by this concept energy for FREE1 I fell in love with at that time was high tech.Today in the "industry" in CA is avable in almost every track house to some degre and I dont think they offer enough! there is more to solar than just some panels on the roof and a house that faces south ( or north depending were you live!) A truly pasive solar house would not even be built above ground! just a thought
Well for one thing I think it looks great but then I think a 1950's mobile home also has great style so that's just a difference of opinion.
What gets me is the two car garage. There is nothing low-energy about that. First, using materials to house your vehicles is 100% waste so forget the 50% savings. Plus, if they wanted to have a lower carbon footprint they would move to a one car household and live near public transportation. Sorry but it loses big points due to that garage which could otherwise be green yard or porch space.
WHAT DO RABBITS HAVE TO DO WITH THIS ARTICLE????????
ReplyBuild rabbit hutches on north facing wall for added insulation.
I LOVE IT WISH I COULD HAVE A HOUSE LIKE THIS
ReplyI like it too.
Yeah , for my dog, or maybe farm animals. Not for a home in America. Looks more like a "State" home to me.
I absolutely love the house. BUT - tearing down a house, hauling it away in a dumpster and filling a landfill with it is not very green - even for the new one.
'UGLY"
Replya key point missing in this article= a ratio of thermal mass is required to absorb the heat from the sun. heat is lost when there is nothing to sink & store energy to release when the heat sorce is removed, aka setting sun. ie. ' even the concrete floors stay warm' ..b/c of the therma mass provided by a heat sink/storage area. like the rap about size, materials DO matter. handful of houses? these people need to get out more.
ReplyThis is not a new standard. My uncle and grandfather built houses for years using this standard when able.
ReplyModern and minimalistic designs can be inviting.....but not this one! YUK! Too sterile and creepy looking.
Reply