Eco Houses of Vermont, LLC Passive house A Quick Path to the Comprehensive Energy Plan’s Goals Presented by: Chris West Certified Passive House Consultant President, PHAUS Vt Chair, HBRANV Green Council Certified Green Professional info@ecohousesofvt.com Eco Houses of Vermont, LLC

Thanks to Margaret Cheney Moving the political agenda toward super energy efficient buildings Pushing for Thermal Energy Taskforce legislation Supporting RBES Code Compliance with teeth We need to all support Margaret and other politicians who are working on this issue!

Comprehensive Energy Plan Recommends that 100% of new homes built in 2030 be Net Zero Houses. 30% of all new homes built to Net Zero by 2020.

Net Zero Goal: Two paths Big Leaky House 40+ panels to get to Net Zero

Net Zero Goal and PH + Reasonable Sized PH A few PV panels

Home Building Energy Triangle It’s the Recycling Triangle for Home Energy 1st Reduce Load 3rd Use fossil fuels sparingly if needed 2nd Use as many as you can renewables

Passive House: I’ve heard of that. One of the most sighted standards in the US Steadily gaining traction in the Building Industry as the Gold Standard for energy efficiency Regularly sited in: Journal of Light Construction Green Building Advisor DoE: Energy Star and Building America BBbD presentations Even ppl who don’t like it reference it!

PH: What is this mystical beast? Uses the apex of Building Science Developed in the 1990’s by Wolfgang Feist in Germany Imported to the us in 2005 Spreading across the country and Vermont Influencing Building Standards in Vt and the US

How does it relate to other programs? Energy Efficient Housing Concepts in the US: Vermont Energy Code (RBES): required for all new construction Energy Star 3.0: DoE Program (30% more efficient than Code) Building America: DoE super energy savings Program (15% better than EStar) Passive House: 90% more efficient than Code 70% more efficient than Energy Star 55% more efficient than Building America Costs only max. of 15% more to build

Energy Usage Comparison

How does Passive House get there?

Passive House Energy Standard Heating Load (Site): 4.75 kBTU/SF/YR Cooling Load (Site): 4.75 kBTU/SF/YR Total Energy Demand (Source): 38 kBTU/SF/YR Air Tightness: .6 ACH @ 50pa

Passive House Concept Controlling Heat Loss: Insulation R58 WALLS R90 CEILING R60 SLAB WINDOWS High Performance U value 0.16 High Solar Heat Gain

Passive House Concept Controlling Heat Loss: Eliminate Thermal Bridging

Passive House Concept Controlling Heat Loss: Airtight Envelope 0.6 @ ACH50 (Vermont Energy Code = 4 ACH50)

Passive House Concept Capturing Heat Gains: People

Passive House Concept Capturing Heat Gains: Solar Heat Gains

Passive House Concept Controlling Gains Seasonally: Orientation and Windows

Passive House Concept Providing Fresh Air: High Efficiency Heat Recovery Ventilation

Passive House Concept Integrating all of these elements into one house

Passive House Concept High Efficiency Heat Recovery Ventilation 0.75 w/cfm or less Triple glazed windows with thermally broken frames R-value of 7.1 or better Use materials with low embodied energy Foams only where you must Short runs for DHW Compact building designs easier to hit PH Standard

Passive House Results 90% reduction in heating and cooling loads when compared to Code 70%-80% reduction in total energy demand Superior indoor air quality Occupant comfort Lower annual energy costs Smaller carbon footprint

People say PH is expensive Results from actual houses in Vermont: Higher construction costs (10% to 15%) Doesn’t cost more! Monthly savings from Day 1. Much higher quality construction means more durable and therefore a better value over time.

What are we talking about? What is the payback on a marble counter top?

Passive House Costs Costs up to 15% more to build than conventional construction Saves 90% on Heating and Cooling Bills

Cost Analysis

Leading the change in building Just by being there Passive House has: Set the bar higher for all building standards Taught builders and architects techniques that can be incorporated in “less” than Passive House projects Shown that the “too much” argument doesn’t float if monthly out of pocket is same! Given legislatures data on applying modern building science in actual homes

Vermont Case Study: HfH Charlotte 1,050 sq. feet interior space

Vermont Case Study: HfH Charlotte

Vermont Case Study: HfH Charlotte

Vermont Case Study: HfH Charlotte

Vermont Case Study: Mechanicals

Vermont Case Study: Sensor Data

Vermont Case Study: HVR Data

Vermont Case Study: Monthly Utility Bills Includes Heating, Hot Water, Cooking, Lighting and all appliances.

Passive House Second Home

Passive House Second Home Performance

Passive House Performance Comparison to Energy Star

State of PH in Vermont First PH in Vt finished 2011 Current PH in Vt: 14 6 certified 3 almost PH’s (failed ACH50) 2 in design phase 1 ‘almost’ PH More in the works!

What Do Passive Houses Look Like?

What Do Passive Houses Look Like?

What Do Passive Houses Look Like?

What Do Passive Houses Look Like?

What Do Passive Houses Look Like?

Conclusion Passive House High quality home Healthier living environment Slightly more expensive to build Payback in 3 – 7 years (depending on price rise) Monthly cost is the same from day one! 90% cheaper to live in (heating/cooling bills) High resale value expected Zero energy home easily attainable with PH

Visit a Passive House International Passive House Days http://www.passivehouse-international.org/index.php?group=1&level1_id=75&page_id=299&lang=de