Passive Acceptance
Virtually unknown in the United States, Passive Houses are starting to make a big impression with their small footprints.
In the famously rainy city of Portland, Oregon, everyone knows that a leaky house is a recipe for disaster. But Portland-based designer Miloš Jovanović isn’t worried so much about water seepage as the more insidious and common leakage of air from a poorly sealed building, which hinders indoor climate control and wastes massive amounts of energy.
While green building benchmarks set by the United States in recent years have contributed to some improvement in this arena, Jovanović believes the most effective criteria for energy-efficient construction can be found in Europe’s Passivehaus standard (known in North America as Passive House).
The distinguishing trait of a Passive House is the absence of a furnace. Though many green building strategies seek more efficient ways to heat our spaces, Jovanović explains, “Passive House focuses on reducing the need for heating power in the first place. A building designed to this standard uses 90 percent less energy, at which point you can heat an entire house with a hair dryer.”
Jovanović’s first foray into Passive House principles began when his firm, Root Design Build, was commissioned to design a residence on a plateau site above Oregon’s Hood River. That project is due to be completed in the spring of 2010. Having previously designed Portland’s first LEED Platinum home, Jovanović had experience working with a catalog of sustainability guidelines, but he relished the simplicity of the Passive House system. “The standard permits a large degree of freedom in building techniques and materials,” he says, “as long as you can achieve the very strict energy and envelope requirements.”
Finding adequate materials to reach those targets wasn’t easy. The designers had to search high and low for North American manufacturers making products of high enough performance to yield an absolutely airtight seal. Jovanović attributes the shortage of available materials in part to “a lack of government support for the enhance-ment of building technologies. Europeans are much more encouraging of innovation through incentives for builders and homeowners.”
In Katrin Klingenberg’s house, a completely airtight design doesn’t leave her lacking a sense of openness. A two-story wall of windows invites sunlight in during the day, maximized through the thoughtful orientation of the building on its site. Photograph courtesy Passive House Institute U.S.
Where he has found encouragement is at the nascent Passive House Institute U.S. (PHIUS) and through conversations with Katrin Klingenberg, the institute’s executive director. Klingenberg, an architect, lives in Urbana, Illinois, in the first Passive House completed in the United States. Klingenberg designed her home in 2002 with her late husband, Nicholas Smith. Having spent seven subzero winters in Urbana, she can attest that the 1,200-square-foot house remains plenty warm, thanks to 12-inch wall cavities packed with high-density blown-in fiberglass and four additional inches of foam on the exterior of the stud wall. In summer triple-paned windows and a 14-inch polystyrene pad below the foundation obviate theneed for a mechanical air conditioner. To eliminate penetrations in the outer skin, a blower door test checks for leaks by depressurizing the house, detecting spots where air sneaks in.
Having a sealed house may sound about as delightful as living in the aft cabin of an airplane, but Passive Houses boast superior interior air quality, thanks to recovery ventilators—–special fans that draw in a steady breeze of fresh air while discharging stale air. To help condition fresh air before it circulates through the house, a 100-foot-long air tube runs underground to capture the constant temperature below the frost line.
Klingenberg’s home has performed very closely to the predictive calculations used in its design—–consuming about 75 percent less energy than a comparable Urbana house. While there are still fewer than 15 of these structures in the United States, Klingenberg says she gets over 100 inquiries daily from builders and bureaucrats asking about the amazing house that needs no boiler or air conditioner. In her explanation, she points to the 15,000 to 20,000 Passive Houses that have been built in Europe in the two decades since the system first gained prominence and shares the documented research that has come from having such a sizable test sample. The European Union–funded research revealed that unlike LEED-certified buildings, which have shown discrepancies between energy modeling and real-world performance, Passive Houses are highly successful in meeting the energy consumption levels specified by the standard.
As debate heats up over the stringency of LEED’s energy requirements, Passive Houses have an opportunity to gain a foothold in the United States. By adding a photovoltaic system, Klingenberg says, a Passive House can meet the carbon-neutrality benchmark for 2020 laid out by the 2030 Challenge, an ambitious goal supported by the U.S. Green Building Council.
Though Jovanović and Klingenberg are part of a very small army of North American Passive House advocates, they both have confidence that the system will prove itself. A 75 percent reduction in energy bills is a good start, but the designers know that examples of stellar design will also be key to convincing the curious. As the Shift House reaches completion and other new Passive House projects get under way, they’re eager to demonstrate that a supersealed space is the quickest route to a sustainable—–and comfortable—–future.
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A passive house is a fantastic idea and I hope this stands as a model to other home builders who are adventurous enough to try something like this. I just have two questions for anyone who can answer them: 1.) How much more expensive on avaerage is it to build a passive house then a tradional house? Will the savings on heating/cooling go far in recooperating the innitial investment? 2.) The idea of a sealed environment brings to mind a possible danger. What happens if the air circulation system fails (due to a power outage or mechanical failure)? Will the occupants run out of air if sleeping? The article likens the house to an aircraft, but aircrafts have emergency oxyen masks.
add 1) There are limited cost comparisons available in the US since Passive Houses (PH) are still very new here, but experience in Europe demonstrates that, on average, PH construction costs are about 5 - 10% more expensive than for traditional houses. PHs need more insulation, better windows and a specific ventilation system, but require only a very small heating system. For further information and diagrams, please reference this very good German article which closely examines the initial higher construction expenses in relation to subsequent energy savings. The information has been They come to the conclusion that over a period of 30 years the initial additional cost of $22,500 for a single family house compared to saving in energy result in a yearly cost saving of about $650. http://www.passivhaustagung.de/Passive_House_E/economy_passivehouse.htm add 2) Common sense suggests that even if the ventilation system fails while the occupants are sleeping there will be more than enough oxygen to survive until morning. But it could get a bit smelly. : ) O. Hooge from BC has done calculations which conclude that one resting person would live 2.6 days in a completely air-sealed 12'x12'x8' room. here is the calculation: http://members.shaw.ca/tfrisen/how_much_oxygen_for_a_person.htm Given the proven track record of PHs and their ever-expanding popularity in Europe (indeed, in certain areas it is now a mandated law that buildings with public financing meet PH standards), the idea of asphyxiation isn't really a valid concern.
The passive house movement, if I can call it that, will begin to take hold worldwide, as the technology comes into use. It is starting in Huntington, Vermont and for information on one house look at http://bertwhiteroad.blogspot.com/ This house under construction, owned by noted landscape architect Cassandra Wilday and designed by architect Demetri Sarantitis, will be as about as passive a house as can be in Vermont. The climate is a challenge of course but this is a project which, when complete, should inspire all of us.
Like Sam already explained, average investment in PH is 5-10% higher than in traditional house. But in Europe governement incentives for passive houses are in common, so the investment for builder is much the same. In principle, it doesn't matter which materials to use to build PH, it's just important that they meet the strict requirements. But thinking about the carbon footprint, what's the point of using building materials for which more carbon was released (during production of these materials), as the house will save GHG emissions during it's lifetime. So, use natural materials.
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