TreeHugger reports that Denmark has just certified its first "Passive House", designed by Danish architect Olav Langenkamp. The Passivhaus methodology originated in Germany, where thousands have been built, and features the following, according to the Passivhaus Institute:
- Compact form and good insulation
- Southern orientation and shade considerations
- Energy-efficient window glazing and frames (triple-pane)
- Very tight building envelope
- Passive preheating of the air through heat exchange
- Highly
efficient (80% or more) heat recovery from exhaust air
using an air-to-air heat exchanger - Hot
water supply using regenerative energy
sources: Solar collectors or heat pumps provide energy for hot water. - Energy-saving household appliances: Low energy refrigerators, stoves, freezers, lamps, washers, dryers, etc. are indispensable in a passive house.
The resulting structure requires very little additional heat on the coldest day of the year, typically a "spritz" of natural gas or a small bit of electricity. All of this is modeled using the Passive House Planning Package (PHPP). The Passive House Institute of the U.S. (PHIUS) is working, under the leadership of Professor Katrin Klingenberg, to build awareness of this design among U.S. green building enthusiasts. The Smith House, below, was built in Urbana, Illinois by E-colab, to demonstrate this building method.
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