Passive House Design: Building a comfortable, healthy, energy-efficient and money-saving home is possible!
I want you to work your way through the Yes/No flowchart below. I’ll give you a minute…
So, whether you ended up at “Passive House Design is right for you” or not (I’d be surprised if you didn’t, though), I’m going to bet you would love for your house to be comfortable year-round without spending all your hard-earned money keeping it that way. And breathing in good-quality, clean air all the time beats out breathing stagnant, polluted air any day from a health perspective. If you’re not familiar with carbon emissions that result from the construction industry and life-long operations of buildings (houses included), I urge you to look into it. This blog post is not meant to get into all the scientific research that exists about carbon emissions and how they contribute to climate change, but is really meant to shed light on what’s possible for new-construction, and even existing homes and buildings. So, as a starting point for your own research on Passive House design, or low-carbon buildings, click this link to the Passive House Institute of the US (PHIUS)’s website. https://www.phius.org/home-page.
I know, it’s unfamiliar. I know, it’s scary to do something that isn’t YET the standard. But once you understand that you can achieve greater goals and construct and live in an incredibly forward-thinking house that is so good for your health, the environment, and for the future that our kids exist in, it’s absolutely worth it. It’s likely going to become the new standard anyway at some point, so why not jump on the wagon and reap the benefits right now? And to be clear, this doesn’t mean you will live in some sort of space-ship looking house. Any architectural style can be achieved.
Again, this post is barely scratching the surface of Passive House design, but here’s the gist of its principles (simplified from the PHIUS website):
1. Super-insulation throughout the house
2. Air-tight construction
3. High-performance glazing (like double and triple pane windows and doors)
4. Using a heat and moisture recovery ventilation system (essentially taking heat from outgoing, stale air to warm fresh incoming air without actually physically mixing)
5. Space is conditioned (heated/cooled) with minimal energy use
You’re probably wondering how the cost to build a Passive House design compares to traditional construction. The PHIUS website states it costs about 5-10% more for Passive House construction in the United States. So, while your monthly mortgage payments could potentially be a little higher, you’ll be saving when it comes to costs associated with energy-consumption. Compared to homes that are built purely to code-based standards (the prescriptive method), Passive House design can be up to 90% more energy-efficient. Think about the savings over time, especially when you consider that energy prices tend to go up every year. That would be an excellent return on investment.
The more I know about Passive House design, net-zero or net-positive design, and other sustainable construction methods, the more I question why we aren’t moving in that direction faster. I personally don’t want my money going towards the high energy demands of a house that is leaky, drafty, and hard to keep consistently comfortable, especially when it doesn’t have to be that way. And I don’t want to spend my money on inferior construction projects just because it’s familiar and easy. What about you?
I want to help you achieve your goals when it comes to designing your dream home. I also want to be a leader in achieving greater accomplishments and setting higher standards for the buildings we are constructing, living, and working in. Let’s work together to get there together! If you are planning to build a house, please look into what’s possible. I’m ready to get the conversation started, so let’s talk!
What do you want to know about Passive House design? What would hold you back from doing something like this? I want to hear from you! Leave a comment for me or message me privately. I am here to help!