Passive houses – a set of design principles for building net zero homes – have been making the news with frequency lately. Designers and builders are invested in deepening their knowledge of these principles for new construction, public housing,and energy efficient private homes. Passive houses are gaining traction in the US as a resilient building method attempting to mitigate the effects of a changing climate. We’ve rounded up the latest in passive house news to keep you in the loop!

Europe, where the passive house concept originated, continues to demonstrate leadership - in green building. Beginning in 2024, Scotland will mandate the use of passive house standards in all social housing. Josh Nieland, writing for Archinect, reports that "the new Domestic Building Environmental Standards (Scotland) Bill will now be fast-tracked through secondary legislation in order to be fully enacted by the end of 2024". He later writes, "the country’s first-ever passive house social housing development was recently completed in Stirlingshire and will be followed soon by a larger construction in Glasgow that will be ready in time for the first set of mandates to take effect in late-2023".  The Scottish government currently has some of the most ambitious climate change mitigation goals, aiming for country-wide net zero emissions of all greenhouse gases by 2045. 

Not far behind Scotland is Boston: The Anne M. Lynch Homes at Old Colony, a 55-apartment mid-rise building in Boston, has recently been completed using passive house design. This four-story, 51,000 sq ft residence features heavily insulated walls, high-performance windows, a rooftop solar array, and thermally broken metal fins to reduce solar gain. Passive house buildings have far lower operating costs over their lifetimes due to their energy efficiency and offer many attributes that lend well to affordable housing and social housing: “Passive House buildings … are far more resilient than traditional apartment communities in severe weather conditions,” says architect and TAT principal Jay Szymanski, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP. “Due to very low air leakage and exceptional thermal performance, these developments maintain their user comfort for significantly longer in the event of power outages. As the number of severe storms and extreme weather events increases, this is another clear benefit of the Passive House approach—especially for seniors who are at much greater risk of negative health outcomes from extreme weather.”

In the world of single-family, private dwellings, passive houses also offer attractive functionality and efficiency. New owners of a passive home recently completed in Hope, Maine, Patrick McCunney and Madeline Mackell, pay $13/month for utilities - just the cost of a connection to Central Maine Power. Common critiques of passive house builds include the initial upfront costs to the homeowner, as well as the environment. Material consumption and costs are often higher to achieve the R value necessary to maintain the passive heating and cooling systems. However, governments and organizations are working to make passive homes more affordable by expanding state and federal incentive programs and rebates. Many states have implemented exciting initiatives to make passive homes more accessible and affordable to all.

West of the Mississippi, Coloradans are getting creative with updated designs for housing for victims of wildfires. The RESTORE passive house is an affordable solution utilized by Boulder residents who lost homes in the devastating Marshall Fire at the beginning of 2022. With ever-rising construction costs and low insurance payouts, Coloradans needed an alternative answer for rebuilding. "The RESTORE Passive House attempts to prove green homes can fit within middle-class budgets. The task could prove critical as governments push to reduce the climate impact of buildings, which account for 13 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and 20 percent of Colorado emissions — largely due to natural gas appliances and an electricity grid dominated by fossil fuels. The homes could also help insulate families from climate threats like poor air quality and future fires." Many of these passive homes are built in prefab factories, allowing homeowners to further lower costs, and have a role in the construction of their houses. The financial incentives offered to those who are building to passive house standards have made the difference for many families. “Factoring in those discounts, Michler's team expects it can build one of the homes for $211 per square foot. Last February, the Colorado Association of Home Builders estimated the cost to rebuild standard homes in the Marshall fire burn area would range between $260 and $300 per square foot.”

This week, we have a crew of builders, architects, and energy professionals on campus for our annual in-person Passive House Consultant's Training, run in partnership with Phius. Through dedicated pre-course work and in-class lectures, these students are working towards being certified as passive house consultants, able to help design and build teams to implement highly efficient standards at a low cost. Next up is our Passive House Builder’s Training, in which we’ll welcome 20+ skilled builders to become well-versed in the current standards of passive house construction and features. There are still a few spaces left if you’re interested in joining us next week. We have high- hopes for the performance of the dwellings these passive house professionals will create.