08-11-2021
Category
Passive home design describes a construction approach that balances both high energy efficiency and superior comfort of a living space.
It's widely considered the gold standard for sustainable and healthy buildings. As Boston's leading premium home builders, we have extensive experience in passive home construction.
Request a consultation today to learn how we can build your passive home or upgrade your existing property via luxury home restoration.
Passive house design is an advanced home construction approach that aims to significantly minimize energy use through techniques such as: superior insulation, airtight construction, and strategic solar orientation. It originated from Germany where it was first referenced in the 1970s (as "Passivhaus").
Given rising energy cost and increased awareness around sustainability, passive construction building techniques have also rapidly gained in popularity in the US and are sometimes also referred to as high-performance design.
Unlike traditional home construction that often prioritizes the use of low-cost materials and efficiency of construction, passive house buildings are built with the goal to minimize energy consumption, inhabitant comfort and efficiency.
One of the most common questions from prospective Boston homeowners is how the cost of Passive House (PH) design compares to conventional home (CH) construction.
Whereas Phius (the Passive House Institute of North America) estimates that building a house to its standards results in a mere "3-5% cost increase" (Source) when compared to conventional building methods, academic studies estimate that construction cost "may be some 5–15% higher".
The reason why passive house construction is so popular despite these fractionally higher initial costs is that the much lower energy consumption levels of high-performance passive houses more than offset the initial cost differential in the mid- to long-run.
As a general rule of thumb and depending on the evolution of electricity cost, this initial cost delta would typically be amortized due to energy bill savings within 10 - 15 years.
Contact us today for a free expert consultation or to get a quote.
A key goal of passive house design is to leverage the conditions of the environment strategically to achieve a higher comfort of living while reducing environmental footprint. This is achieved by adhering to four building principles.
By using premium building materials we can achieve a high R-value insulation in walls, windows, roofs, and floors. This helps reduce heat transfer and contributes to maintaining stable indoor temperatures, even during blistering cold Boston winters and hot summer months. An added benefit is reduced noise pollution, which is a significant benefit in urban and suburban Boston neighborhoods.
The strategic placement of windows, but also installing sunlight blocking solar shades further improves efficiency. Shades also protect furniture and flooring from direct UV exposure and can optionally be smart home controlled for optimum opening levels. This can dramatically reduce cooling and heating needs while creating a naturally illuminated interior living space.
Airtight construction has two main benefits: it supports temperature management and improves the durability of a building as it prevents the undesired moisture buildup that may lead to mold.
Advanced ventilation systems like Heat Recovery Ventilators (HRVs) and Energy Recovery Ventilators (ERVs), ensure a healthy indoor air quality by controlling indoor humidity levels and preventing mold growth. This is a particularly important factor given New England’s humid, coastal climate.
Greater Boston's climate can pivot from one extreme to another: bitter cold winters are followed by humid summers with high moisture levels common in coastal areas. This is reflected in energy bills.
According to ElectricChoice, an independent energy cost comparison website, "The average residential electricity rate in Boston, MA is 69% higher than the national average rate of 19 ¢/kWh."
This creates a strong financial use-case for prospective Boston homeowners to opt for passive home construction.
Get in touch with us to discuss your project! We will get back to you within 2 business days.
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