D O U G L A S F OX D I R E C T O R , C E N T E R F O R S U S T A I N A B I L I T Y A N D G L O B A L

C H A N G E

H A N N A H K R E I T Z E RS T U D E N T

U N I T Y C O L L E G E , U N I T Y M A I N E

Living and Learning in TerraHaus

Unity College

570 studentsEnvironmental degrees, organized into five

Centers Center for Sustainability and Global Change Center for Biodiversity Center for Natural Resource Management and Protection Center for Experiential and Environmental Education Center for Environmental Arts and Humanities

Home of Unity House: The First LEED Platinum President’s House

Focus: Scientific Sustainability

Location: Unity, Maine—Lat 46° Long 69°

Central Maine

If we can do it here, it can be done anywhere

TerraHaus: The First Passive House College Residence in North America

• 2186 square feet

• 10 students

• Apartment-style living

• Designed to Passive House StandardsPhoto credit: Jonah Gula

The Passive House (Passivhaus) Standard

The standard was created by the Passivhaus Institut in Darmstat, Germany in 1996

It is the highest international energy standard

Passive House buildings use less than 10% of the space heating fuel used by similarly sized code-compliant

buildings in the region to maintain a 70° F temperature.

What does a 90% energy reduction mean?

TerraHaus80 gallons of fuel oil per year (equivalent)

Standard Home• 900 gallons if new

construction built to current code

• 950 gallons of Oil if weatherized older home

• 1330 gallons if not weatherized

What does a 90% energy reduction mean?

TerraHaus• ½ cord of firewood

Standard Home• 5 cords of wood if

built to current code

What does a 90% energy reduction mean?

TerraHaus• 1-2 standard hair

dryers

What does this mean for Unity College?

TerraHaus• 80 gallons of oil

equivalent• 10 students• 8 gallons of oil per

student• $32 per year per

student for space heating

Replaced Cottages• 625 gallons per

cottage• 4 students per

cottage• 156 gallons per

student• $624 per year per

student for space heating

What does this mean for Colleges in Cold Climates?

TerraHaus• 0.04 gallons of oil per

square foot

• 8 gallons of heating oil per student per year

Wood Hall• 0.54 gallons of oil per

square foot

• 82 gallons of heating oil per student per year

What could this mean for Maine and the World?

Unity, Maine pop. 1889 ~500 homes 1687 average square feet per home Average energy cost 0.33gal heating oil/square foot 253,050 gallons of oil used per year currently (wood,

pellets, propane converted to oil basis for this calculation)

At the passive house standard our small town of 1889 residents would save 219,310 gallons of oil or $778,550 per year.

(@$3.55/gallon for #2 heating oil)

Energy Conservation Design Features

SuperinsulationSuperior Air SealingPassive Solar Windows and OrientationSolar Hot WaterHeat Recovery VentilationHigh occupancy

Photo credit: Jonah Gula

Superinsulation

Structural Insulated Panels No thermal bridging High R-Value

Superinsulation

R 50 WallsR 32 FoundationR 84 RoofR 9 WindowsNo Thermal BridgingEPS for low GHG emissions

Air Sealing

Passive House Standard is less than 0.6 ACH50

Blower Door testedBottom line: This is a very, very, tight building!

Heat Recovery Ventilation

HRV exchanges stale air with fresh air from the outside, reclaiming 88% of heat of the stale air

Exhaust from kitchenand bathrooms Fresh air enters into the bedrooms and main room

Zero degree outside air will be warmed to 62° before it enters the rooms using the heat from the exhaust air

Solar: Passive Solar Windows

South windows pick up the equivalent of about 70 gallons of oil per heating

season

SuperinsulatedGerman Windows

High Solar HeatGain Coefficient(SHGC = 0.6) Photo credit: Jonah Gula

Solar: Solar Hot Water

Supplies 60% of the domestic hot water needs (showers, dishwashing, etc.)

High Occupancy

10 students in 2186 square feet Separate showers and toilet rooms Good acoustical separation Open design, white walls, large windows Ample storage space Individual thermostats in bedrooms

Photo credit: Jonah Gula

The Design Process

• Design charrettes with students

• Outdoor gathering spaces• Places for gardening• Quiet study spaces• Lots of light• Storage for outdoor

recreation equipment• And on, and on…

The Education Program

Environmental Citizen CoursePublic Lectures by the Architect and BuilderPublishing the Passive HouseThe Unity Passive House BlogToursMedia outreach

Cost

• At $470,000, the cost was below average for residence halls in the northeast measured by cost per square foot or per student.

Passive heating saves on construction and maintenance costs—no chimney, boiler, or plumbing needed for the heating plant.

Abramson, P. 2011. Building for the Future. College Planning and Management, June 2011.

Photo credit: Jonah Gula

TerraHaus: Science and Art

Our next Step: Build two more residences to complete the Sonnenhaus Village

Photo credit: Jonah Gula

TerraHaus Collaborators

Kendeda FundBangor Savings BankGO LogicAnn Kearsley Design

For more information:www.terrahaus.wordpress.com

Photo Credit: Jonah Gula