_________________________________________________________________________________________________ Passive
House
Why isn’ t every house a passive house?
By Lauren Thomsen
Apart from a few states leading the country with energy codes and standards that push highperformance design, passive house strategies are not yet widely used in construction. This is disappointing but understandable: most building projects are funded by private investments without a generous‘ research & development’ budget, and there is significant financial risk associated with any building project. Furthermore, many building projects are single family homes with conservative investors.
But our homes are the most important spaces in our lives- arguably where we should want to make the most investment. Far more than shelter, our homes are integral parts of familial life that reflect cultural, social and moral values. We rely on these spaces in our daily routines, and they are the settings for most intimate relationships. Given our knowledge of energy use, the climate crisis, and available technology, why aren’ t more homeowners investing in sustainable building strategies above code minimum? Why isn’ t every house a passive house? Why isn’ t high performance building the norm? modernhb. com 15