PASSIVEbuilding

An introduction

Certified Passive House, GO Home, Belfast, ME

buildings

CHINA -18,100,000,000 SF PER YEARJune report from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE),

75% electricity50% carbon

World Energy Use

U.S. share of world energy consumption: 26%U.S. share of world CO2 emissions: 24%U.S. share of world population: 4.6%

Ratio - per capita consumption of energy in developed vs. developing countries: 10 times

Sources: The Energy Information Administration; The United Nations Energy Committee

US people

US energy/CO2

www.globalchange.gov

© 2009 Robby Schwarz www.nrglogic.com

Lance Wright www.greenenergyman.com

Global Climate Change

1928

2004

Source: Time magazine April, 2006

A rigorous, voluntary building energy standard focusing on a high performance envelope with a resulting minimized mechanical system.

“Passive”

The “magic numbers” of Passive House

The Passive House Standard:

Why these numbers?

Cost Effectiveness Trick

“Passive”

10x(roughly more efficient than what we build today)

The Passive House Standard:

CATEGORY:

Space Specific Heatingor Cooling Demand per year:

Total Primary Energy Use per year:

Airtightness:

PASSIVE HOUSE:

(4.75 kBTU/ft2yr)< 1.39 kWh/ft2yr(up to 90% better)

(38 kBTU/ft2yr)< 11.13 kWh/ft2yr(up to 70% better)

n50 < 0.6 ACH(up to 90% better)

AVERAGE U.S. NEWCONSTRUCTION (2007):

36.6 kBTU/ft2yr

(56.64 kBTU/ft2yr)

n50 = 3ACH to 5 ACH

1-

2-

3-

A BTU is defined as the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit.

(about 5,000 BTU/hour to heat a 1500 square foot passive house on the coldest day of the year, vs a typical house is 100,000 BTU furnace

Watt this means:

Heat your 1500 sf house with 1500w or the energy of (15) 100w light bulbs on the coldest hour of the year

The Passive House Standard:

1500 watts$14.99 + tax

Passive house heating system:

(no Photovoltaic .i.e. solar electric panels, roughly here (solar hot water potentially)

(WITH Photovoltaic .i.e. solar electric panels, can be negative HERS score or PLUS ENERGY

The Leger House looked like a conventional American home, heatedonly by its own water heater!

Eugene LEGER HOUSE

1979

“1. Truly superb insulation. Not just thick, but clever and thorough.Excellent insulation is provided even at the most difficult places: sills,headers, foundation walls, windows, electric outlet boxes, etc.

2. Envelope of house is practically airtight. Even on the windiest days the rate of air change is very low.

3. No provision of extra-large thermal mass. (Down with Trombe walls!Down with water-filled drums and thick concrete floors!)

4. No provision of extra-large south windows. Use normal number and size of south windows — say 100 square feet.

5. No conventional furnace. Merely steal a little heat, when and if needed, from the domestic hot water system. Or use a minuscule amount of electrical heating.”

William Shurcliff, 1979 Press Release:

“6. No conventional distribution system for such auxiliary heat. Injectthe heat at one spot and let it diffuse throughout the house.

7. No weird shape of house, no weird architecture.

8. No big added expense. The costs of the extra insulation and extracare in construction are largely offset by the savings realized from not having huge areas of expensive Thermopane [windows], not havinghuge well-sealed insulating shutters for huge south windows, and nothaving a furnace or a big heat distribution system.

9. The passive solar heating is very modest — almost incidental.

10. Room humidity remains near 50 percent all winter. No need forhumidifiers.

11. In summer the house stays cool automatically. There is no tendency for the south side to become too hot — because the south window area is small and the windows are shaded by eaves”.

Larger developments followed in Canada in 1980 with

14 superinsulated homes, and then with 140 superinsulated homes in Minnesota in the US.

1982-83 Canada sponsors the R2000 program with free training for builders and small subsidies to offset cost and requirement for an airtightness test: a blower-door

test. Over 1000 homes were built.

Conservative estimate of total superinsulated homes

1985 in the US and Canada is 10,000.

It doesn’t have to cost more…….

$100kCommunity Rebuilds – passive project in the works?Moab, Utah

$100kCommunity Rebuilds – passive project in the works?Moab, Utah

$250kEmpowerhouse Solar Decathlon - Habitat for Humanity Passive projectDeanwood neighborhood of D.C.

$250kEmpowerhouse Solar Decathlon - Habitat for Humanity Passive projectDeanwood neighborhood of D.C.

$250kEmpowerhouse Solar Decathlon - Habitat for Humanity Passive projectDeanwood neighborhood of D.C.

$350k2100 square foot near passive house project

Winner 2012 CRES award

Total energy $ per year:Heating:

Slab:Walls:Roof:

Windows: Ventilation:

Hot water:Electric:

$300100% ElectricR-40R-40R-70R-5 (.56 SHGC)96% heat recoverySingle 4x8 panel Solar thermal3.3kW pv system(4600kWh / yr)

ALPINE PASSIVE HOUSEBoulder, Colorado

TEAM:FUENTESDESIGNLOPEZ SMOLENS ASSOCIATES CONSULTING ENGINEERSLIGHTLY TREADINGSLM CONSTRUCTIONARTESANO PLASTERZOLA EUROPEAN WINDOWSULTIMATE AIRLIGHTLY TREADING

$400k2500 square foot straw bale passive house project

PREFAB + STRAW BALE

ALTITUDE: 7,105HEATING DEGREE DAYS: 7,051SSHD: 4.58 kBTU/(FT2YR) PENDING CERTIFICATION

• FIRE REBUILD• 6kW PV• LOW EMBODIED ENERGY STRAW

BALE WALL SYSTEM• THERMAL MASS STORAGE• ELECTRIC IN-FLOOR RADIANT• HEAT PUMP HOT WATER HEATER• 90% LED LIGHTING

VENTILATION – 90% +/- RECOVERY OF HEAT

SOLAR PATHFINDER…SHADING...

FINDING AIR LEAKS….

STATUS: PASSED AIR TEST, CLIENT TO REMOVE BURNED TREES TO CERTIFY SHADING

lighting

Incandescent 20 l/w

T5 FLUORESCENT

Stanley elec.white LED

CREE lab record LED

20 l/w

100 l/w

150 l/w

276 l /w

refrigeration

Subzero Pro 48

Energy Star limit

Sunfrost RF16

691 kWh/yr

481 kWh/yr

240 kWh/yr

windows

R-3.3 SHGC

R-5.48 SHGC

ENERGY STAR ALPEN 725H

THERM RESULTS in straw bale wall:

(R-6.31 FRAME).5 SHGC / .088 U / R-11.36ψ INSTALL= -.006 (Btu/hr.ft2.F)

R-8.48 SHGC

Window Interior Surface Temperature(+2 degrees F outside)

Wall Interior Surface Temperature(+2 degrees F outside)