Green Building News

Last summer, as the 2011 Solar Decathlon team representing University of Maryland toiled away at its contest entry, a 920-sq.-ft. one-bedroom consisting of two “shed” modules arranged in a staggered, split-butterfly configuration, the hope was that the building would eventually be sold to a couple whose annual income was in the $75,000-to-$115,000 range.

After almost a decade of playing host to the Solar Decathlon on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the Department of Energy, as it suggested it would before the 2011 competition, found a new location for the event – way west of D.C.

When it comes to creating wintertime comfort with a thermostat, the calculations would seem to be pretty straightforward: factor in the building occupants’ notion of comfort and what they’re willing to pay to heat the building interior to satisfy those notions, then set the thermostat accordingly and be done with it.

Back in May 2007, major building-design industry groups agreed to a benchmark against which they could measure progress toward their goal of increasing energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions in residential and commercial buildings.

UPDATED on 1/28/2012

On January 12, 2012, the Passive HouseA residential building construction standard requiring very low levels of air leakage, very high levels of insulation, and windows with a very low U-factor. Developed in the early 1990s by Bo Adamson and Wolfgang Feist, the standard is now promoted by the Passivhaus Institut in Darmstadt, Germany. To meet the standard, a home must have an infiltration rate no greater than 0.60 AC/H @ 50 pascals, a maximum annual heating energy use of 15 kWh per square meter (4,755 Btu per square foot), a maximum annual cooling energy use of 15 kWh per square meter (1.39 kWh per square foot), and maximum source energy use for all purposes of 120 kWh per square meter (11.1 kWh per square foot). The standard recommends, but does not require, a maximum design heating load of 10 W per square meter and windows with a maximum U-factor of 0.14. The Passivhaus standard was developed for buildings in central and northern Europe; efforts are underway to clarify the best techniques to achieve the standard for buildings in hot climates. Institute U.S. (PHIUS) filed a trademark application for the letters “CPHC,” which stand for “certified passive house consultant.”

Four of the 11 entries in the 2010-2011 Connecticut Zero Energy Challenge found their way to the winners’ circle, each taking a different path to exemplary energy efficiency performance.

Updated with a revised competition timetable.

One of the more spirited consumer movements in the energy-management realm has been the stop-smart-meters trend. In fact, there is a nonprofit group called Stop Smart Meters!

Based in California, Stop Smart Meters! is one of more than 50 groups and individuals nationwide advocating against utility-installed, wirelessly connected “smart meters.” These citizens have been tirelessly calling into question the accuracy and safety of the devices, and have voiced concerns about their vulnerability to security breaches.

As the Passivhaus standard becomes less of a novelty and more widely embraced by designers and builders in the U.S., it seemed logical that some of the standard’s advocates would create an independent forum for sharing news, project ideas, and technical expertise, and for generally promoting the standard.

UPDATED on 1/27/2012

On August 17, 2011, the Passivhaus Institut in Darmstadt, Germany cut all contractual ties with the Passive House Institute U.S. (PHIUS). The director of the Passivhaus Intstitut, Wolfgang Feist, announced, “We must make it clear that PHIUS may no longer rely on PHI’s name and expertise to bolster its own image.”