Residential construction is undergoing a transformative shift towards energy efficiency and carbon reduction. The Passive House design standard, coupled with low carbon building materials, is at the forefront of this revolution.
Living Craft is building two new homes in the Marshall fire burn area in Louisville, CO to the passive house standard. We have partnered with Shape Architecture, a passive house designer and promoter based in Denver, to design the homes.
History and Principles
Passive House originally began in Germany. It has now become an international standard for constructing energy-efficient buildings that prioritize occupant comfort while minimizing energy consumption. The principles include airtight construction, high-quality insulation, high-performance windows, and a mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery. These elements significantly reduce the need for heating and cooling, resulting in up to 90% less energy consumption compared to conventional buildings. Just like LEED or Living Futures certified buildings, a building must meet certain requirements to become Passive House Certified.
Why We Are Building Passive Houses
With so many energy efficient home standards to choose from, we chose passive house for a number of reasons.
Local Incentive Program for Passive House
Incentives in the form of rebates are being offered by our local energy company for homes in this fire area. The rebates will offset any extra cost involved in making the home live up to the passive house standard, and hopefully provide some cash back to the homeowner.
Operational Energy Use and Comfort
Another reason we wanted to build to this standard is because a passive house should provide energy savings over the long term. The reduced heating and cooling costs and needs make monthly energy bills low. It also will be comfortable, quiet, and healthy for the residents.
Resilient Buildings for Climate Change
Additionally, our clients are concerned about climate change. The Marshall Fire that destroyed their homes was worsened by extreme weather patterns brought about by climate change. Because of that, they are hoping to provide an example of how housing and building in general could be involved in mitigating climate change rather than exacerbating it. That means we have to take into account the reduced energy consumption of the house, and also make smart choices about our design and the materials we use.
Also, simple homes that are airtight are actually more resilient in the face of future fires. Because it is so air tight, a passive house is less likely to have smoke damage after fires nearby. There are also fewer points for embers to gather and ignite with simpler roof lines.
It Takes a Village
Of course, the clients need to be excited about and on board with this process. Shape has the expertise in creating the design to meet the energy standards and the clients needs. Living Craft has four Certified Passive House Tradespeople on our team. This will help to ensure proper on-site implementation of the design elements, which requires a lot of attention to detail. Rounding out the team are BldgTyp, the PH Design Consultant and CertiPHIers, a third party certifier who will review the home design and construction process at completion of the project to make sure we have met the goals of the design.
We are excited to be getting building with these two new Passive Homes in Louisville, CO. Stay tuned for more updates.