Living in an Old House Remodeled to Passive House Standard

Raised-Heel Trusses save energy

A simple way to boost HERS Ratings.

The Victorian house in the Shadyside neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, had been re-muddled several times and was in dilapidated condition. Thoughtful Balance (TB), a Pittsburgh-based architecture firm specializing in sustainable, low-energy design, decided to take ... [continue reading]

Living in an Old House Remodeled to Passive House Standard

Author: Chie Kawahara

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November 01, 2015

My husband, Kurt Hurley, and I are homeowners with passion for green building, and we've managed to reduce the energy consumption of our 93-year-old house by 80% through a very detailed renovation following the Passive House (... [continue reading]

PHIUS+ 2015 Climate-Specific Passive Building Standard

Author: Mike Knezovich

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June 27, 2015

What's Changed, What Hasn't [continue reading]

Smart Design: Optimizing Efficiency in High-Performance Homes Doesnâ€™t Always Mean PH Certification

Author: Indigo Ruth-Davis

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June 06, 2015

Two recent Passive House (PH) consultations of mine have made clear the difficulty of making the PH standard more widely adopted in this country. Both consultations were for small, single-family homes. Neither house was more &... [continue reading]

Solterre Passive House Concept Cottage

Author: Shawna Henderson

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June 01, 2015

Last summer, I took a drive from Halifax down to Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia, to check out Solterre Design’s Concept Cottage. The house looks like it’s been there for a few ... [continue reading]

Living Lightly in Ithaca's EcoVillage

Author: Susan P. Gateley

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March 15, 2015

When Ray Stiefel began planning his energy-efficient Passive House (PH) project in upstate New York, the net zero building concept was virtually unknown in the United States. It took seven years of discussion and research ... [continue reading]

Are We Ready for Better Buildings?

Author: Terry Nordbye

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March 11, 2015

I recently had a phone conversation with a frantic contractor who was in charge of a Passive House (PH) retrofit. He was in desperate need of an air-sealing specialist. The house was leaking almost a 700 ... [continue reading]