Passive Houses: no heating bills!

Did you ever dream of not having a heating or cooling bill for your home? Are you tired of cold drafts, leaky doors and windows, and the unknown of energy costs? You can get quick fixes like replacement windows, radiant heat perhaps - but how about a house that does not need a heating/cooling system to keep warm, even in a cold climate? Sounds enticing?



Passive house is a concept more familiar to the people of Europe (they always seem to be a few steps ahead), and the Passivhaus Institut in Germany is the pioneer of the engineering concepts for this energy efficient way of living. A passive house is a "very well-insulated, virtually air-tight building that is primarily heated by passive solar gain and by internal gains from people, electrical equipment, etc. Energy losses are minimized. Any remaining heat demand is provided by an extremely small source. Avoidance of heat gain through shading and window orientation also helps to limit any cooling load, which is similarly minimized. An energy recovery ventilator provides a constant, balanced fresh air supply."

To learn more about Passive Houses (not to be confused with a solar passive house), take a look at the links below:

PASSIVE HOUSE INSTITUTE US

PASSIVE HOUSE INTO AT PASSIVHAUS INSTITUT

NY TIMES PASSIVE HOUSE ARTICLE

SCANDINAVIAN HOMES LTD

EXAMPLES OF PASSIVE HOUSES

Downsizing America: Small and Tiny Homes

Europe has always been known for tight boarding quarters, small cozy homes, and tiny flats. The United States on the other hand is the epitome of 'bigger is better' (I am generalizing here, bear with me). But there were always a handful of people who realized that bigger is often cumbersome, wasteful, and hideous; that handful has grown significantly over the past two decades. Today you will find many publications on small homes and designing for small spaces. I want to emphasize that I am referring to those who choose to build/buy smaller even though they can afford bigger, not those forced by circumstances and budget to live in a small home. This group of people makes a conscious decision to make their carbon footprint smaller - literally. There are also those who decided to ditch the 9-5 merry-go-round by selling their home and buying one small enough to pay for it cash and live a mortgage free life. Can you imagine how liberating that is? I admire people like that.

Truly though, considering the amount of time we spend outside of our homes, do we really need 4,000 square feet for a family of three? I don't think there should be any question. I always remind myself of a family I met in a foreign country who lived in a run-down shack of about 250 square feet, with 11 children. That puts things in perspective. Of course that is not something they chose, those are their unfortunate circumstances, but it is convicting when a thought like 'I wish I just had one more closet for all my things' comes to my mind. This American obsession with possessions is just one of the reasons for the economy bubble that recently burst and is quickly deflating.

If you want to find out more about tiny and small home living or if you are seriously considering this might be the right move for you and perhaps your family, take a look at my choice of websites below.

TUMBLEWEED TINY HOUSE COMPANY

HOME FRONT SIP SYSTEMS

LODGE ON WHEELS

CABIN FEVER

weeHOUSES

miniHOME

SUNLIGHT HOMES

SMALL HOME OREGON

CLASSIC CABIN & COTTAGE DESIGNS