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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>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-</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV>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.</DIV>
<DIV>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. <BR></DIV>
<DIV>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.</DIV>
<DIV> 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.</DIV>
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<DIV>Read more: <A style="COLOR: rgb(0,51,153)"
href="http://www.naturalhomemagazine.com/sustainable-homes/aggressively-passive-building-homes-to-the-passive-house-standard.aspx#ixzz1APQSyVK8">http://www.naturalhomemagazine.com/sustainable-homes/aggressively-passive-building-homes-to-the-passive-house-standard.aspx#ixzz1APQSyVK8</A><BR>
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