The first eco-friendly "Passivhaus" built in Dorset, England, around a decade ago is now on sale, showcasing energy-efficient design standards that result in one-tenth the energy consumption of standard properties, according to local news outlet Dorset Echo.
This modern yet rustic location is a tempting proposition for anyone with around £850,000 ($1.1 million) to meet the asking price. There are plenty of perks to owning The Den, as it's known, including a huge energy savings and an £800 ($1,050) annual check for selling excess energy to the grid.
Passivhaus (also known as passive house in English) is a rigorous standard focusing on insulation, energy efficiency, and comfort for its occupants. LEED certification works in a similar way, except that it tends to focus more on reducing the impacts of energy, water, waste, and transportation factors.
The Den is a spacious country property with wraparound gardens and plenty of windows for natural light.
It's also fitted with loads of sustainable green tech. There's a solar thermal system for heating the water and photovoltaic panels to provide clean electricity, making it nearly net-zero for energy consumption.
Since the key element of passive house design is insulation, it uses mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) to process the air and maintain an "almost constant temperature," as the Dorset Echo put it.
This also makes air conditioning unnecessary in the home, reducing excess electricity consumption. Residents can enjoy comfortable temperatures all year round, while pollutants are filtered out and none of the heat energy is wasted.
Developing according to the Passivhaus Institute's standards could go a long way to reducing the nearly 35% of emissions that buildings are responsible for globally. Heating demand for those constructions could be slashed by nearly 90% as well.
In the U.S., the EPA estimates that homeowners could save around 15% on heating and cooling costs by properly insulating their homes. This also reduces exposure to noise pollution, pollen, dust and provides better humidity control. Plus, the Inflation Reduction Act has money for you if you decide to upgrade to more energy-efficient design.
Although it may not be as well-known of a certification, passive house design has been flourishing across the U.S., as well. Massachusetts has seen a series of homes meeting the certification, along with an entire office building, while New York sports a passive-house construction that generates double the energy it needs.
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