Heating and cooling equipment are the biggest users of energy in American
homes. And homes are responsible for about one fourth of the nation's total
energy use. But there are surprisingly simple ways to deeply cut energy use, its
effect on the environment and its cost.
David Peabody, a supplier, and his team at Peabody Architects design passive homes.
He says the design of a passive house aims to reduce energy demand to its lowest
possible level. Passive houses use no solar, geothermal or wind energy
equipment. But they are extremely energy efficient.
Mr. Peabody says passive
houses cut heating and cooling costs by about ninety percent. But what sets his
design apart from other "green homes" is that it looks like any other
home.
Peabody Architects says it is building the first passive home in the
Washington, DC, area. But it will not be the last. In Arlington, Virginia, Roger
Lin and his brother Eric are also building one. Roger Lin of Southern Exposure
Homes explains that windows are sealed against leaks and have three layers of
glass.
ROGER LIN: "And these are triple-paned."
The windows are airtight.
On a cold winter day, the temperature inside the unfinished home is a
comfortable twelve degrees, or fifty degrees Fahrenheit.
ROGER LIN: "In here
it's above fifty actually. It's above fifty right now."
David Peabody says
you can find passive homes all over the world.
DAVID PEABODY: "North Africa,
for example, has a passive house community designing for very hot dry climates
and that's a whole other area of exploration for passive house."
The first
passive design was an apartment building in Darmstadt, Germany. Two physicists
helped develop it about twenty years ago.
Passive houses use some specialized
materials. These include precast concrete panels and insulation. They also need
to have special air treatment systems. Supporters say they cost only about five
to eight percent more than traditional homes. But they use ten percent of the
energy for heating and cooling.
But Passive House Institute US says even
greater savings can be reached with additions like solar water heating systems.
They might call that an active passive house.
