Passive houses offer affordable energy efficiency
As the need for energy efficiency grows, Americans are becoming more interested in a European solution – passive houses.
Many measures that increase energy efficiency – solar panels, wind turbines, highly efficient appliances, and heating and air systems – carry with them significant upfront costs. Those costs may deter consumers.
However, passive houses offer substantial energy use reduction at lower prices. According to the Passive House Institute US, overall energy savings of up to 90 percent are possible without applying active technologies. This can account for significant savings, given that according to the United States Energy Information Administration, 48% of greenhouse gas emissions annually derives from buildings and 39% of all electricity generated by U.S. power plants goes to supply the building sector.
According to Germany’s Passive House Institute, passive construction in Europe must meet an annual heating requirement that is less than 14kWh/(m2a) (4755 Btu/ft2/yr), and it cannot be attained at the cost of an increase in the use of energy for other purposes.
Additionally, the Institute requires that the combined primary energy consumption of the living area may not exceed 120 kWh/(m²a) (38039 Btu/ft²/yr) for heat, hot water and household electricity. Passive homes utilize a combination of factors including super-insulation, an airtight building shell, high-performance triple-glazed windows, a balanced energy recovery ventilation system, and the limitation of thermal bridging to reduce energy use and carbon emissions .
According to the Passive House Institute US, about 10 percent of construction costs are tied to passive technologies and building methods
While at one time, passive houses have been more expensive to build, that is no longer the case. According to Germany’s Passive House Institute, costs are now in line with normal building standards in that country, as was the case with the Passivhaus Apartments at Vauban, Freiburg, Germany.
So far in the United States, only a few hundred homes meet the strict standards for a passive house. The first in North America was building in Urbana, Illinois in 2003. Meanwhile the first U.S. passive retrofit occurred in July 2010 when a 223 square-meter home in Sonoma, California was remodeled.
While a new trend in U.S. Construction, the Passive House Institute estimates the total number of passive houses to be 15,000 to 20,000 worldwide, with a heavy focus in Germany and Scandinavia. However, as these homes establish a track record of significant energy savings at a reasonable upfront cost, demand for these types of homes should increase around the globe.
Many measures that increase energy efficiency – solar panels, wind turbines, highly efficient appliances, and heating and air systems – carry with them significant upfront costs. Those costs may deter consumers.
However, passive houses offer substantial energy use reduction at lower prices. According to the Passive House Institute US, overall energy savings of up to 90 percent are possible without applying active technologies. This can account for significant savings, given that according to the United States Energy Information Administration, 48% of greenhouse gas emissions annually derives from buildings and 39% of all electricity generated by U.S. power plants goes to supply the building sector.
According to Germany’s Passive House Institute, passive construction in Europe must meet an annual heating requirement that is less than 14kWh/(m2a) (4755 Btu/ft2/yr), and it cannot be attained at the cost of an increase in the use of energy for other purposes.
Additionally, the Institute requires that the combined primary energy consumption of the living area may not exceed 120 kWh/(m²a) (38039 Btu/ft²/yr) for heat, hot water and household electricity. Passive homes utilize a combination of factors including super-insulation, an airtight building shell, high-performance triple-glazed windows, a balanced energy recovery ventilation system, and the limitation of thermal bridging to reduce energy use and carbon emissions .
According to the Passive House Institute US, about 10 percent of construction costs are tied to passive technologies and building methods
While at one time, passive houses have been more expensive to build, that is no longer the case. According to Germany’s Passive House Institute, costs are now in line with normal building standards in that country, as was the case with the Passivhaus Apartments at Vauban, Freiburg, Germany.
So far in the United States, only a few hundred homes meet the strict standards for a passive house. The first in North America was building in Urbana, Illinois in 2003. Meanwhile the first U.S. passive retrofit occurred in July 2010 when a 223 square-meter home in Sonoma, California was remodeled.
While a new trend in U.S. Construction, the Passive House Institute estimates the total number of passive houses to be 15,000 to 20,000 worldwide, with a heavy focus in Germany and Scandinavia. However, as these homes establish a track record of significant energy savings at a reasonable upfront cost, demand for these types of homes should increase around the globe.
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