Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Passive house

[Jerry McIntire (jerry.mcintire]

Thanks Fred for bringing up the Passiv House standard. It is a comprehensive
improvement on conventional construction. It incorporates some passive solar
features, but typical passiv house construction does not take much advantage
of passive solar possibilities, nor is it a more affordable construction
method.

If high-mass walls and floors are incorporated inside the insulation
envelope (instead of wood-framed walls), and the south glazing is increased,
and building height is kept to one story, passive solar gains would be
maximized.

If earth blocks and natural or recycled materials for insulation are used,
together with a passive earth-tempered ventilation system, the homes could
be more affordable. I hope to show that soon with the new home we are
planning for our new community here in SW Wisconsin.

Retrofitting is more difficult, but several of the lessons from Passiv
houses can be effectively used to improve a home's energy efficiency. Number
one: start with a smaller home.

Jerry McIntire
Stone's Throw Ecovillage
Viroqua, Wisconsin