[Greenbuilding] passive house: a fresh look from PHIUS

[Eli Talking]

Cheap energy is the enemy of achieving a sustainable energy use pattern.  Natural Gas harvested through fracking is another incremental environmental disaster.  The permanent consumption by contamination of water injected deep in the ground withdraws permanently from the hydrological cycle, making fresh water a non renewable resource also.  
This is a quote at bottom of the article about PH approach, and N Am based approaches.

http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/musings/new-passivhaus-standard-north-america?utm_source=PHAUS+member+list+March+2012&utm_campaign=12ab9c43d2-week_4_May_2012_Newsletter5_15_2012&utm_medium=email


After Klingenberg had shared her hope that the Passivhaus approach will eventually become standard practice in North America, Joe Lstiburek, a well-known building scientist as well as one of the conference hosts, stood up. “I’m going to have the last word on this,” said Lstiburek. “We have an incredible amount of natural gas coming online at a very low cost. If this proposal becomes a political program, it might work in France, but it won’t work in the U.S. We have cheap gas, low energy costs, and plentiful energy supplies, so this isn’t going to fly. If you want to change the world, this can’t become a boutique program like R2000 in Canada. The world around you is also changing — politics and the energy situation are both changing.”




From: John Straube 
Sent: Monday, August 06, 2012 12:30 PM
To: Green Building 
Subject: Re: [Greenbuilding] passive house: a fresh look from PHIUS

It is unfortunate your head is spinning Alan, but I am sure many people's are.
Frankly, I think there is some confusion.  PH is a specific target.  BSC is not wed to one set of targets.  For mass market moving to better from bad, there is a different set of concerns, and hence targets, than for a custom home, a home aiming for NetZero, or something in between.
That said I am quite pleased that PH has softened its rigorous stance and is willing to work with North American suppliers and designers to craft a more regionally optimized version of PH so that it causes fewer design challenges (without real benefits).
It would be nice if they would stop calling it "the most rigorous energy standard in the world" and claiming that all of the suggested targets are based on science.
John


Dr John Straube, P.Eng. 
www.BuildingScience.com

On 12-08-06 11:44 AM, Alan Abrams wrote: 
  The following article recaps a lot of dialog that has transpired on this list, between the PH approach, and N Am based approaches best exemplified by Building Science.  the result is, PHIUS is listening.  And my head is spinning...

  http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/musings/new-passivhaus-standard-north-america?utm_source=PHAUS+member+list+March+2012&utm_campaign=12ab9c43d2-week_4_May_2012_Newsletter5_15_2012&utm_medium=email

  Alan Abrams
  Abrams Design Build LLC
  design for purposeful living

  6411 Orchard Avenue Suite 102
  Takoma Park, MD 20912
  office  301-270-NET- ZERO (301-270-6380)  
  fax      301-270-1466      
  cell     202-437-8583
  alan at abramsdesignbuild.com
  www.abramsdesignbuild.com


   

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