The Scope of Green Building Q&A...

A recent inquiry on our website rendered some great feedback from our designer, Tessa Smith, worthy of sharing: Query: After doing my homework, I believe the best green building standard is the ultra-efficient Passive House. That said, I know Passive House focus’ mainly on energy use (or conservation rather). Because designing and building a house is a complicated and involved process, I want to consider a full scope of ‘green’ while I’m at it. What else should I have in mind while I’m talking to designers and builders? Answer: Great Question,...

The House that Saved the World...

Great title. The House that Saved the World is a thirteen part production featuring  Eco-Home Builders that are breaking the trail for sustainable buildings. The production will feature the different phases of project development and critical stages of construction on these integrated energy efficient homes. The owners, designers, craftsmen and crew will share their challenges and triumphs as construction moves along. For those of you that have been following our blogs, you’ll recognize Dan Whitmore’s house as one of the homes featured in the production. I...

Green MLS | Green Homes For Sale...

Do you like window shopping for real estate? Or are you trying to get a sense for the cost of a green home in your area? It’s commonly accepted these days that homes built to energy efficient standards are the ones selling first and are holding their values well over a typical code built home, it stands to reason when you consider buying a home that is efficient, comfortable, healthy and has low utility bills versus one that was built to an old school model that may have ventilation issues, insulation issues, and large heating systems (i.e. large heating bills)....

Passive House Heating 101-Energy Efficie...

Passive Houses are so energy efficient, it often it takes mentioning a few times for the reality of this statement to sink in: “Passive Houses are built without central heating systems“. It’s so curious and novel and almost unbelievable, in this day and age where the greatest part of our monthly utility bill goes toward space conditioning. How this actually works is quite simple when compared to a thermos bottle, since a thermos is so well insulated the contents retain most of its heat, sidestepping the need to constantly produce new heat to keep the...

Very Green Homes- “Passive House&#...

This is another great article outlining what Passive House is… it even mentions Dan Whitmore’s house in Seattle, the first Passive House currently being constructed in Washington state. Passive House Arrives in North America:  Could It Revolutionize the Way We Build? Full Story from Environmental Building News Executive Summary Originating in Germany twenty years ago and drawing inspiration from the superinsulation and passive solar movements in North America in the late 1970s, Passive House has migrated across the Atlantic. To date, about a dozen...

Green Homes in Olympia-Permit Friendly...

Reposted from Passive House Northwest Blog, posted by Albert Rooks 5.26.10 Passive House could move to the head of the line in Thurston County WA. Thanks to a Federal Grant, Certified Passive House Consultant Tessa Smith, and a host of others, along with Thurston County, There is a draft document circulating Thurston County that clears the way for Passive House and other green building method permit applications. The document recognizes Passive House by name. If adopted, the documents states: “This policy sets forth the process and procedures in reviewing a ...

Passive House Upfront Costs & Payba...

Ultra- Energy Efficient Home-Passive House We get loads of questions about Passive House, but the two bottom line biggies are: How affordable is the upgrade to design to the Passive House standard? What is the typical payback period? The question of money, and fortunately the strongest selling point of the Passive House  approach! As for affordability, the two main aspects that must be considered are the upfront construction costs and the operating costs. The upfront costs can be fairly modest ranging from 5% to 10% on average. In a Passive House there are no...

Passive House Video...

This is a great little video feature by CNN about a Swedish Passive House and what it’s like to live in this ultra efficient...

Brooklyn Cohousing Project-Passive House...

Another well written Passive House article worthy of a post. This article is written by Ken Levenson who is an architect in Brooklyn, NY. His client, the Brooklyn Cohousing group,  chose Passive House design over other ‘green’ building standards for their project. The entire article can be read here. Below is an excerpt to whet your appetite: Passive House Retrofit Characteristics: Brooklyn Cohousing August 21st, 2009 “I recently have undertaken a building project with Brooklyn Cohousing following Passive House standards. My clients decided to...

Home Energy Efficiency Program...

reprinted from the Olympian Incentives to repair that leaky home Resources: Program examines house’s efficiency JOHN DODGE; Staff writer | • Published June 01, 2010 Olympia – Eli and Molly Levitt were among the first homeowners in Thurston County to sign up for a program to help area residents and businesses use energy wisely. When the couple bought a 1913 home nearly two years ago on Wilson Street in Olympia, they knew it wasn’t the most energy-efficient home around. They insulated the attic and basement, installed compact fluorescent ...