[Greenbuilding] Aggressively Passive: Building Homes to the Passive House Standard

[Doug Kalmer]

Direct gain, passive solar used in the Passive House standards helps to achieve 90%+ reduction in energy useage, proving south facing windows do fit in with efficient building design-

Imagine spending a long Illinois winter in a cozy house with no cold corners or drafts-and heating bills half the norm-or sailing through a sultry Louisiana summer in cool comfort with bills that cost a fraction of the neighbors'. Passive House, the latest set of building standards sweeping North America, uses seven simple principles to make these housing dreams come true.
Passive Houses are so well designed, insulated, sealed and ventilated that they require as little as 10 percent of the energy standard homes use for heating, cooling and lighting. A tight envelope (roof, exterior walls and floor) and thick, heavily insulated walls keep winter cold and summer heat at bay with little reliance on furnaces and air conditioners. In winter, Passive Houses hold in heat from the sun, inhabitants' bodies, lights and appliances. In summer, they keep cool air in and hot air out, though additional cooling may be needed in very hot, humid climates. Energy-recovery ventilators (ERVs) circulate fresh air for even temperatures and humidity. 

Margaret and Gregory Stanton, who built a Passive House in Urbana, Illinois, don't feel altruistic. "We're selfish," Greg jokes. "We're free from volatile energy prices." The Stantons love their thick walls and deep windowsills, energy savings and the absence of drafts. In response to Urbana's cold winters and hot, humid summers, the Stanton house has R-87 roof insulation (20 to 24 inches of loose-fill cellulose), 18-inch-thick R-64 walls and a thick slab floor insulated to R-51. Direct solar gain provides much of their heat, backed up by a heat pump and an inline heater in their ERV.
 Renters have lived in 204House for almost a year. "The renters love it," Saft says, "and we've shown that not only can Passive House principles work in this climate, but that they also work financially." Despite its 10 percent higher-than-average construction costs, 204House's market-rate rental income covers expenses, with money left over for repairs. In fall, spring and part of the winter, the home's utility bills are extremely low-averaging less than $10 a month.

Read more: http://www.naturalhomemagazine.com/sustainable-homes/aggressively-passive-building-homes-to-the-passive-house-standard.aspx#ixzz1APQSyVK8

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