Avoiding the heat during these hot summer months just got a whole lot cooler. One state in the U.S. is seeing new homes being built to battle high temperatures without the help of air conditioning.
In Connecticut, more homes are being built as passive houses, which don't require furnaces during the winter or air conditioning during the summer to stay comfortable.
Passive houses were first designed and built by the Passivhaus Institute in Germany in 1996. At the time, the engineers sought to build homes that used minimal energy while providing modern comforts.
To be considered a passive house, the new homes should include:
• Proper insulation — often using triple-paned glass, thick concrete walls, or cellulose installed
• No holes to allow heat to escape
• Proper framing to avoid any thermal bridge that allows heat to escape through the walls
• A heat recovery ventilation system to replace any stale air with clean, fresh air
These aspects of the passive house help keep the air moving inside at a moderate and comfortable temperature before venting it outside. Where the home is built also matters, as proper shade and sunlight can increase or decrease the temperatures inside throughout the year.
By not needing an air-conditioning unit or furnace in your basement, you can save massively on energy bills. Using a proper ventilation system can also reduce the need for additional fans during the summer, lowering your overall electricity usage. CT Insider reported that when switching to passive houses, homeowners can see a 90% improvement over other homes in lowering their energy usage.
Opting for this low-energy home not only can save you hundreds of dollars every year, but it also helps support our planet.
These homes also lower families' contributions to pollution caused by cooling systems such as air conditioners, which have been found to be responsible for just over 3% of heat-trapping pollution, according to Our World in Data.
Despite these benefits, it is taking time for these homes to be widely adopted. Engineers have warned that passive homes can cost 10-30% more when building. However, some experts say the long-term benefits outweigh the initial costs.
Leonard Wyeth, of Wyeth Architects and the president of Connecticut Passive House, told CT Insider that most homeowners he speaks with want to move into a passive home after learning more.
"It's a slow transition — it is painfully slow," Wyeth said. "One thing we've discovered, though, which is kind of hopeful, is every contractor that we have to train — once they've done it, just about every job they do after that is going to be built to the same standard, because they see the benefits."
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