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High performance design is not yet the norm because it remains an optional upgrade, and delayed gratification( in the form of future energy savings and a better world for future generations) can be difficult to sell, particularly when there are additional upfront costs. More importantly, with a financial barrier to entry not everyone who would like to implement high performance strategies can afford to invest in going above and beyond the minimum required.
Policy changes, through more stringent building and energy codes which provide the minimum acceptable level of energy efficiency, are the most efficient way for us to make large strides and improvements on energy use in the built environment. Buildings use 37 percent of the total energy use in the United States, and account for 33 percent of all US carbon dioxide emissions, creating enormous potential for improvement. Recently there have been exciting policy changes in Massachusetts, California, and New York- states that have historically been led the way in energy efficiency policy. Massachusetts recently passed robust air sealing and fresh air requirements for both new construction and renovations. In 2023, New York passed the All-Electric Buildings Act which was the first statewide ban on natural gas in new
construction. Several states have adopted building performance standards that have energy use and emissions ceilings and for the first time implemented financial penalties for not meeting criteria. Many of these are policies currently focus on large buildings, but like the dissemination of technology and innovation, we can expect such policies to impact more states and eventually the entire residential sector in the coming years.
Metrics and certifications aside, homes and buildings built to a passive house or similar standard are ultimately going to be appreciably more comfortable and healthier to live in. A central tenet of passive house construction is the sealing of the building envelope, both to control thermal transfer and to control and improve indoor air quality. With the unprecedented wildfire seasons of the past few years, air quality suddenly is something we can no longer take for granted. Similarly, as electricity prices continue to skyrocket, high performance homes are less impacted. Should there be a loss of power, a high-performance home can function on very little backup energy. Another wonderful by-product of a super insulated building envelope is acoustic isolation, which in any dense urban environment is a major benefit. Overall, these projects are far more resilient and
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