Passivhaus, the set of rigorous building standards for extreme energy efficiency, has come to California: ...it took some time to figure out the...
...it took some time to figure out the O'Neill House in Sonoma, California, by Jarrod Denton of Lail Design Group and built by Solar Knights. It is anything but small and boxy, but is every inch a Passivhaus....Result: the house uses 70% less energy than a conventional northern California home. And then there is the maximum air leakage permitted in a Passivhaus, about a tenth that of a conventional house. This requires careful detailing and very, very good construction quality.It also means that you have to bring in a lot of fresh air, since these buildings don't leak. Most Passive houses have heat recovery ventilators, but in warmer climates Energy Recovery Ventilators are used, that work in the cooling season as well, exhausting heat instead of recovering it.There's more on the house at Treehugger.
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