Designing and Building an All Electric Certified Passive House and Advancing Global Climate Change Goals
Carmel Building & Design brings the strategies and homeowner benefits of Passive House to life
Every decision counts. Especially when the goal is to achieve an energy-efficient, low carbon, healthy, comfortable, durable home. At Carmel Building & Design, we think about how what we do impacts each homeowner as well as the environment. It’s one thing to hear about why something matters, and yet another to see examples of how it’s done and why it works.
In this and future blog posts, we’ll not only tell you about the elements involved in creating this all electric certified Passive House, we’ll take you behind the scenes with a segment from a virtual tour of our Countryside Passive House, before the interior walls were covered.
The components of a sustainably-built, eco-friendly home
From windows, and water and space heaters to air sealing, advanced framing, insulation and ventilation systems, everything adds up to an extraordinary home. With every home we design, build or remodel, we’re always on the look out for innovations that improve energy-efficiency, provide alternatives to fossil-fuel-powered systems and appliances, and offer sustainable alternatives to limited natural resources and carbon-intensive materials.Ever wonder….About the role of windows in maintaining a consistent, comfortable indoor air temperature, and preventing energy loss? How today’s heat recovery ventilation systems not only provide fresh, filtered air to an airtight home, but also filter out dust, allergens, smoke and moisture that can damage your home, and your health, over time? Why even the best insulation has to be properly installed to be effective? The reasons electric heat pumps are a better choice than traditional HVAC systems for space heating and cooling?
The Passive House Planning Package supports good decision-making from the get-go
With the Passive House Planning Package (PHPP) energy modeling software, we can “design, build and equip” the home in the computer to measure energy performance before construction begins. PHPP gets us to the right materials, techniques, systems and processes from the start.
With results of the PHPP in hand, we follow the five key principles of Passive House to achieve optimum results.
Employing Passive House strategies to build better homes and a brighter future for our planet
With every home we build or remodel, we become more convinced of and excited about the power of Passive House design and construction. While not every client chooses Passive House, we still apply these proven principles to every project. For us, it’s simply the right thing to do.
Explore our FAQ for answers to commonly asked questions about Passive House, feel free to take the Virtual Tour of our All Electric Passive House and stay tuned for highlights of individual tour segments.
Applying Passive House strategies to craft beautiful homes and advance global climate change goals
Whether you’re building a new home, planning a remodel or currently renting, it’s critical that all of us reduce our overall energy consumption regardless of the source that generates the power. Without improving energy efficiency and cutting way back on consumption, we can’t hope to meet the overriding objective of limiting global temperature rise to well below 2o Celsius/3.6o Fahrenheit. This, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals — goal 13 in particular — inspire why and how we build the way we do. And it’s good to know that the UN cites Passive House as an effective way to reduce energy demand and lower carbon emissions.Here are some things you can do right now to lower your energy use and reduce the carbon footprint of your home. Check out our blog on Home Energy Use Monitors, as well as our Think Big. Start Small. posts on Energy Hacks, Weatherizing and LED Lighting.
Get in touch with Carmel Build and Design for your Passive House consultation.
