This is a part of the Housing Knowledge Community webinar series on research. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), over 43% of the energy consumed in our country is used to run our buildings. Most of this energy comes from the burning of fossil fuels. The burning of fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases that are changing our climate. We must find a way to dramatically reduce the amount of energy our buildings consume.
How can we design and construct our buildings to meet this challenge? One way is through the Passive House Standard. Passive House is one of the world’s most rigorous building energy performance standards, requiring a dramatic reduction in energy consumption while yielding other benefits such as superior comfort, durability and health.
This June 4, 2012, webinar focuses the design and construction of a Passive House in northern Vermont. This house was the first Certified Passive House in the U.S. for Habitat for Humanity, the first Passive House in Vermont and the first to be built modular.
The webinar will discuss the principles of Passive House design: Envelope specifications; insulation, air sealing, and thermal bridge free details; mechanical systems; and modeling in the PHPP. The webinar will then walk you through the construction of the Passive House. The webinar will also review the monitored data on energy consumption, temperature and indoor air quality. Lastly we will review lessons learned and think about what is to come.
Visit this page later to download a copy of the Q&A.