• Early Housing = no technology• 20th Century Housing = technology evolves• 21st Century = organized technology

A Brief History

What is Passive House

The term passive house refers to a rigorous, voluntary standard for energy efficiency in a building

Resulting in ultra-low energy buildings that require little energy for space heating or cooling

Thusly reducing its ecological footprint

Benchmarks in a Nutshell

Space Heating/Cooling Energy Demand 15 kilowatt hours per square meter of Treated Floor Area per year or 10 Watts per square meter peak demand or in Imperial units 4.75 kBTU/sf*yr and 3.2 BTU/hr*sf respectively.

Primary Energy DemandTotal energy to be used in the building operations (heating + cooling + lighting + equipment + hot water + plug loads, etc…) is limited to 120 kilowatt hours per square meter of Treated Floor Area per year or in Imperial units 38.0 BTU/sf*yr.)Airtight EnclosureAllowable limit of 0.6 air changes per hour at 50 Pascals pressure (ACH50) that is verified with an onsite blower door test (pressurized and depressurized)

Passive House as Teacher

We know what We know

We know what We don’t knowWE DON’T KNOW WHAT WE DON’T KNOW

ArchitectEngineerBuilder

Surgeon Astronaut Actor

What We Built• 3500 SF 4 bedroom Passive House W/ an Unconditioned Conservatory• R 45 Walls = 12.5” double stud wall filled with dense pack cellulose• R 49 Roof = 12” rafter filled with open cell foam• R 51 Floor = 12” floor joist filled with dense pack and capped with 1.5”

polyiso • R 7.14 Klearwall Triple glazed tilt and turn windows• 2 ton Waterfurnace geothermal heat pump• 80 gallon Steibel Eltron heat pump hot water heater• Zenhder ERV

Passive House 5

1. Air tight building envelope2. High efficiency windows and doors3. Super insulation4. Controlled ventilation with heat

recovery5. Thermal bridge free construction

Air Tight Construction• Consistent Indoor Comfort• Enhanced Insulation Performance• Proper Fresh Air Ventilation

Triple Pane Windows & Doors

• Plays A Vital Role In Air Tight Construction

• Increased Thermal efficiency - R-Value• Key Element for comfort factor

Super Insulation• Low investment with a high

return• Keeps on giving tirelessly • Zero maintenance

Fresh Air System • Stale air is replaced with pre-conditioned fresh air• Prevents spikes in CO2 levels• Heat recovery operates at a minimum of 75%

efficiency• Filters pollen, mold, dust, bacteria – MERV 13

Thermal Bridge Free Construction• Thermal Isolation between the inside and outside

• Helps minimize losses and maximize retention

What Thermal Imaging Tells Us

• Passive House vs. Traditional Construction

A Stark Contrast

How Did We Do

We were very pleased and the we hope the client lives healthily and happily ever after

We performed a blower door test with only studs, plywood, windows and doors …… and

We hit an ACH of 0.34 @ 50 pascals We performed our final blower door test …… and

We hit an ACH of 0.37 @ 50 pascals

With a final HERS score of 3

The Prime DirectiveIn the fictitious universe of Star Trek, the Prime Directive is the guiding principle of the United Federation of Planets. The Prime Directive prohibits Starfleet personnel from interfering with the internal development of alien civilizations.

Our Prime DirectiveTo endeavor in the design and construction of buildings that have zero or positive effects on the entire ecosystem of our planet

Thank you