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    • September

      18

      2012
    • 2679
    • 0

    Floating passive house close to mass production

    The Dutch subsidiary of IBC Solar AG, one of the world’s leading system integrators for photovoltaics, has helped bring AUT-ARK home, a floating passive home, a step closer to mass production. A prototype of AUT-ARK is currently anchored in Maastricht (Netherlands) and draws a huge number of interested visitors during its opening hours due to its unconventional construction design.

    IBC Solar B.V. provided its support for the planning, technical design and installation of the photovoltaic system for this unique, future-oriented project, which is powered by a total of 24 photovoltaic modules with a total output of 6,360 Wp (watt peak), an inverter and a solar energy storage unit.

    The home was designed by Pieter Kromwijk (Architectuur Coenegracht & Kromwijk, Maastricht) focusing on minimum energy demand, and is currently anchored in Maastricht. The prototype took nine months to build, and IBC Solar explains that “owing to the considerable interest shown, the floating passive home will soon be going into mass production. Then each home will only take 4 months to build”.

    “The AUT-ARK Home is a perfect example of how the homes of the future will look,” claims Peter Meijers, Managing Director of IBC Solar B.V. in the Netherlands enthusiastically. Once it has been anchored at its mooring, the passive house does not need to be connected to a waterside power supply – electricity and water are produced and treated by the home itself.

    “This is of particular interest in those areas where there is an abundance of rivers and lakes and only limited housing space. This problem could be solved with the passive house, which offers a new, self-sufficient living space,” explains Meijers. Thanks to its innovative construction and self-sufficiency concept, the floating passive home is ten times more energy-friendly than a conventional home of a comparable size.

    Peter Meijers was immediately convinced of the idea of the self-sufficient home and offered his advice in designing the power supply from the very beginning. The planning stage of the project was quite complicated. For example, the construction plans for the passive home were altered several times. IBC Solar B.V. adapted the energy concept for each draft accordingly. IBC Solar B.V. t

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    • September

      8

      2012
    • 3002
    • 0

    New Mexican Adobe, German Efficiency Style

    I’ve seen several projects pursue both LEED Platinum and Passive House certification, but I can’t think of any that actually went through with the aim other than this Passive House, Platinum-certified home in Taos, New Mexico. The 2,400 square-foot home has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a garage, and 1.1 acres of land with a serene, scenic view of Taos Mountain to the east, Truchas Peaks to the South, and pasture land to the west.

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    • August

      25

      2012
    • 1801
    • 0

    Atlanta considers new storm water rules as part of rainwater harvesting program

    A renewed push is underway in Atlanta to harvest rainwater and improve the management of storm water in an era of sustained drought.

    Rainwater harvesting is one proposed response to the need for better management of water resources. Credit: Southeast Rainwater Harvesting Systems Association

    Advocates say a regional rainwater harvesting program could produce more than 20 million gallons of water a day. That represents about 16 percent of metro Atlanta’s net consumptive use of about 125 million gallons a day, according to the latest figures maintained by the Atlanta Regional Commission.

    Two efforts are ramping up to improve the management of the region’s water resources: The drafting of potential new storm water regulations in Atlanta that would apply to all new homes, and to certain additions to existing homes and commercial properties; And, a renewed push throughout the region to encourage property owners to harvest rainwater.

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    • August

      22

      2012
    • 1501
    • 0

    Zero Net-Energy Ready Homes to be Certified by Energy Department Partnership

    For people who think Passive House is a Fad.

    On Monday, August 20, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a newpartnership between the DOE Challenge Homeprogram and the Passive House Institute US to cooperate on the promotion of various levels of high-performance buildings on the path to zero net-energy.

    This news is a huge development for the passive house community and for PHIUS. The endorsement of PHIUS+ passive house certification through the DOE instantly makes passive house the most energy efficient option for builders, designers and developers who want to achieve a zero energy building. This recognition will go a long way toward making passive house mainstream.

    This took a lot of time and effort, and we owe thanks to Sam Rashkin, Chief Architect at the DOE, whose knowledge, vision and determination were critical to the effort. (Sam was the keynote at last year’s North American Passive House Conference.)

    So, how does this partnership change current PHIUS+ passive house certification and what do consultants need to know?

    In a nutshell: not much. A passive house already fulfills most of the Challenge Home requirements – certification essentially remains the same process with a few minor additions! Those additions are very good improvements, making the home even better. Indoor air quality requirements ask for low VOC materials and the water efficiency requirements establish a reasonable savings baseline, all good things.

    The Challenge Home requires rigorous third-party, on-site verification, which already is part of PHIUS+. PHIUS+ certified RESNET Raters already use an advanced passive house checklist created specifically for passive houses. (This testing protocol is actually more rigorous than the one the Challenge Home is using.)

    What Challenge Home brings to the table that PHIUS+ did not before is a more formalized exterior water management and flashing checklist. Having seen quite a few bad water management details during certification so far, we are happy to add a more formalized process to assure the long term durability of the house. QAQC is crucial to assure quality in execution, actual performance and peace of mind for the client we found.

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    • June

      22

      2012
    • 2381
    • 0

    Japanese ‘Light House’ | Optimising Natural Light Without the Heat

    With extensive benefits, natural lighting is a key focus for the modern interior designer. Natural lighting in green buildings is even more important, and the balancing act between natural light allowance and solar shading is a challenge for designers around the world.

    A clever piece of innovation from a Japanese architectural firm, however, demonstrates that extensive natural lighting does not have to mean thermal gain. Architectural firm Takeshi Hosaka architects have developed the ‘Daylight House’ in Yokohama

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    • June

      2

      2012
    • 2209
    • 0

    Ventilation in Passive Housing – Why Doesn’t Airtight Housing Choke?

    We know that ventilation is incredibly important in developing comfortable and practical interior design – but when we’re dealing with a passive house; a highly energy efficient building that is known for its key feature of airtight insulation – the means of ventilation are paramount.
    The passive house design means that through high levels of insulation and window energy efficiency, airflow into of out of the building is limited. A complete lack of fresh air amounts to an unliveable building.
    Equally important as this highly energy efficient design – which generally gets all the media attention – are the ventilation processes that, as anyone who deals in passive design development knows, are the key element in providing liveable interiors.
    However, air quality issues are not the only problem that faces a building that doesn’t ‘breathe’. Moisture can develop, causing mold and.

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    • June

      2

      2012
    • 1434
    • 0

    Energy efficient home nets cash for owners

    If things go as planned, Ashley Warren and Anthony Spicer won’t pay an electric bill at their new home in Whitley County. They’ll be getting a check from the power company instead.

    The couple and their three daughters recently moved into a house designed to use 90 percent less energy for heating and cooling than a conventional home.

    The house also has solar panels on the roof that generate power to sell back to the electric company.

    Spicer said the electric bill at the house they rented before moving averaged $350 to $370 a month.

    “It’s going to mean everything” to get rid of that payment, Spicer said. “We’re going to be able to buy things we couldn’t normally buy because of this.”

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    • June

      2

      2012
    • 4816
    • 0

    Light 12-Glazed Window on the Horizon, at R-38

    In the USA, most windows are probably single- or double-glazed and some builders will use triple-glazed windows for Passive House and other high-performance homes. But in Hanover, Germany, a 12-glazed window prototype by Mariusz Paszkowski and Antoni Kostka was the star of the recent International Passive House Conference, according toDer Standard. Check out these windows with aerogel!

    The two scientists, in conjunction with SUPERWINDOWS, showcased INVIS160stack and INVIS160tweed, and both of the prototypes are about 160 mm thick, though they weigh no more than a double- or triple-glazed window unit.

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    • April

      15

      2012
    • 1563
    • 0

    Beat the heat: how a new type of eco home is helping tackle global warming

    Beat the heat: how a new type of eco home is helping tackle global warming The Ecologist The heat storage capacity of different materials is one of the most important features of building a passive house , explains Swift, which is why several of the designs on the site are partly buried underground, to make the most of the constant …

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    • April

      15

      2012
    • 1876
    • 0

    Habitat builds passive house in Berea

    Habitat builds passive house in Berea Lexington Herald Leader A family in Berea is getting an energy-efficient home from Habitat for Humanity. The Richmond Register (http://bit.ly/HkaBZC) reports it is Habitat for Humanity’s first ” passive ” home in the state, which means it exceeds federal Energy Star ratings and … Berea family getting Habitat’s first; Passive home in Kentucky.

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    • March

      18

      2012
    • 1431
    • 0

    How to Slash Domestic Gas Consumption by a Factor of Five

    How to Slash Domestic Gas Consumption by a Factor of Five OilPrice.com Below is a plot of temperature within our house over the course of 8 days in late December, 2011. Except for the “experiment” on Christmas (day 359–360), the house went along its usual, passive undulation. The average inside (blue) temperature ..

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    • March

      18

      2012
    • 1663
    • 0

    10 ways to save water in commercial buildings – Consulting-Specifying Engineer

    10 ways to save water in commercial buildings Consulting-Specifying Engineer Commercial rainwater harvesting systems (see Figure 5) can be a viable option for owners and designers where a building with a large roof area also requires a high demand for nonpotable water. Again, this is based on the …..

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    • February

      18

      2012
    • 1652
    • 0

    Alley Flat Initiative fits small, green homes into unexpected places – CultureMap Austin

    You probably don’t spend much time in Austin’s alleys — those unpaved no-man’s-lands that bisect city blocks. You might store your garbage bins in the one behind your house. You might take an occasional shortcut through one. But if you’re a law-abiding citizen, you probably don’t see Austin’s alleys as full of opportunity.

    But that’s exactly what the Alley Flat Initiative does; they view alleys as a solution to Austin’s lack of affordable housing. When you think of affordable housing, you might envision overcrowded apartment complexes or new tract homes on the outskirts of town. Instead, the Alley Flat Initiative tucks small, single-family homes behind the existing main house on large lots in central East Austin. The second house, accessed via the alley, is highly sustainable and earmarked for residents who

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    • February

      18

      2012
    • 1733
    • 0

    Unique Habitat For Humanity Home Boasts Ultra-Energy Savings

    Unique Habitat For Humanity Home Boasts Ultra-Energy Savings WPTZ The Champlain Valley By Jill Glavan CHARLOTTE, Vt. — The final of three homes built by Green Mountain Habitat for Humanity in Charlotte is completed and leaders say the ultra-energy efficient model is already catching on

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    • February

      5

      2012
    • 1522
    • 0

    Hydroforce pump for rainwater harvesting – World Pumps

    Hydroforce pump for rainwater harvesting World Pumps The pump features an alloy bulkhead, pressure release gap and patent-pending twin chamber design which prevents ingress of water to motor, electrical components and to bearing oil. The Hydroforce pump is pressure sensitive, and turns itself off until ..

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    • January

      22

      2012
    • 2216
    • 0

    Video: The Passive House Revolution By Charles Hoxie

    Video: The Passive House Revolution By Charles Hoxie.Twenty years ago, German physicists erected a home that demonstrated how little energy a building would need if built with, among other things, thick insulation and airtight walls. The so-called “ Passive House ” (or “Passivhaus” in German) was soon …

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    • January

      22

      2012
    • 1880
    • 0

    Start of the Passive House Design Contest – publics.bg

    Тhе registration for the first edition of the electronic design competition for a passive house in the village of Lozen, near Sofia, Bulgaria has started. The event is set up by Passive House Bulgaria and the agenda has been published on the …

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    • January

      22

      2012
    • 1723
    • 0

    10 Green Building Predictions for 2012 from Earth Advantage Institute – MarketWatch (press release)

    10 Green Building Predictions for 2012 from Earth Advantage Institute MarketWatch (press release) Portland State University’s mechanical engineering department recently partnered with a local builder to measure the effects of phase change material used as insulation in a duplex passive house , while Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories is …

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    • January

      22

      2012
    • 1492
    • 0

    How green is their valley? Ebbw Vale residents sought to test eco homes

    The United Welsh Housing Association is running a competition to find people to live in and assess two homes built on the site of a former steel works at Ebbw Vale in Blaenau Gwent, south Wales. The homes, built to showcase the “Passivhaus” concept, are in a group of state-of-the-art homes built for the 2010 National Eisteddfod.

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    • January

      8

      2012
    • 1274
    • 0

    Insulation options range from good, better, best –

    ‘Tis the season once again, readers – both for festive occasions and for rising heating bills in North Carolina. As temperatures drop across the area, homeowners across the area are battling with drafty rooms, cold upper floors, and gas bills that rise into the hundreds of dollars each month.

    The average home in our area has over 2,000 ft of gaps, crack and voids that allow heated air to escape into the outside. When it comes to improving the value and comfort of your home, there is no safer bet than improving your home’s insulation.

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Costs of Custom Homes

The first thing most people want to know is: What does it costs to build a 3000 sqft custom home in the Atlanta, GA. market?  The first thing you have to calculate is the square footage you want.  Once you have that, the numbers below give you a good starting point.

Adjusted Square Foot Calculation:

New Construction:

Renovations:

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