Great Landscaping finishes the House

Heating with sun and body heat

Do nothing and still save money? Who realized his dream of home ownership as a passive house may not claim this formula for its heating bills. A mere 15 kilowatt-hours may consume such a building per square meter per year. This is possible only with an excellent thermal insulation. And that begins with the insulation of the floor plate. The XPS insulation holds in this field of application of the building weight and the moisture from the soil was playing while making the necessary reliable, high insulation values.


  A passive house is designed so that it can do without a heater. Even in freezing temperatures prevail in the interior of the room a pleasant temperature. The heat comes from the sun, whose rays reach south-facing windows in the house, the waste heat from electrical appliances and the body heat of the residents.Compared to conventional heating systems is the amount of heat, of course, very low. The heat is thus a valuable asset, which needs to be kept inside the house. Triple-glazed windows, a ventilation system, which preheats the fresh air, and the perfect insulation of the building envelope are the barriers that prevent the loss of energy. The insulation thicknesses are from 25 to 40 centimeters - whether on the roof, wall or under the floor slab. The principles of the Passive House Institute (PHI) to see for all non-transparent parts of a building envelope thermal transmittance (U value) of less than 0.15 W / (m² K). When used under the floor slab, the material must bring more than excellent insulation properties.
The XPS insulation is made of the plastic polystyrene, which in a special production process - is first heated and then use a slot die, foamed - extrusion.In this way the material is a closed cell structure. It is therefore very stable under pressure and holds loads of up to 30 tons per square meter - more than enough for the load of a building. Moreover, XPS can not absorb water and is impervious to moisture. XPS is the strong foundation for heating costs 

Passive House Design

HomeStars – News and Updates

Thursday, March 3, 2011 

Passive House Design

We’ve written about energy saving tips for your home before and we keep stressing about the growing importance of energy efficiency for both environmental and financial reasons. But many of the tips advise on how to retroactively update your home – but what about if you are starting from scratch?

Many people advocate that buying used instead of new (houses or other goods) is better for the environment because “it reduces the amount of new stuff that has to be made.”  But with number of new homes being built, there is definitely no significant reduction in the near future. In addition to updating older homes, we need to look at creating more effective and efficient homes right from the start. Energy efficiency and sustainability is what passive house design is all about.

I first came across this topic when Reiner, The Reno Coach,  posted about a conference he was attending in Toronto, which would train him to be an expert on passive house design.

What is passive house design?

Passive house design was developed by the the Passive House Institute in Germany. It includes standards and techniques that drastically improve the performance of a home thorough these features:

• superior insulation
• energy efficient windows, shade considerations
• air-tightness (no drafts or hot or cold spots)
• heat recovery ventilators (these eliminate the need for conventional heating systems)
• sustainable and regenerative hot water supply
• fixtures that are energy saving (lighting, appliances)
• solar and landscape considerations

Could you imagine a house with no furnace?

While there are clearly many aspects to this type of design, I think that the most unique is the lack of a traditional furnace. As Reiner explains, “The design philosophy behind the Passive House concept is simple: instead of designing a building, then sizing the required heating system, here the building shell is optimized until the conventional heating system is no longer required. The small amount of heating energy which is still needed in a Passive House can then be supplied via the ventilation air stream.”

Take a look at the images below. The graph on the left shows a comparison of energy efficiency for Canadian heating. The image on the right shows a thermogram of heat (can you tell which one is the passive house?)

Want to know more?

There are so many aspects to passive house design it’s too much to adequately cover in one blog post. We’ll be doing regular installments on specific aspects of passive house design so that we can provide you with detailed and accurate information. In the meantime, check out the Reno Coach’s blog, Passive House TO,  and see what the process is like from beginning to end. His aim is to be the first passive house in Toronto….we can’t wait!

High R-Value Windows Are Top Pick To Improve Home Energy Performance

Question #1: If I have a budget of $15,000 to spend on retrofitting a home to improve energy performance, what gives the biggest bang for the buck?

The energy performance gains of three different options were studied to find out which options gives the biggest bang for the buck:

		OPTION 1 Increase efficiency: improve attic and under-floor insulation, thoroughly air-seal the enclosure, and upgrade lighting and appliances to ENERGY STAR-compliant models.
		OPTION 2 Replace windows: replace all existing windows with R-5 windows. Two base case scenarios were examined, one with R-1 (single-pane) windows and the second with R-2 (double-pane) windows in the existing home.
		OPTION 3 Install solar system: install a 2-kW photovoltaic array on the roof.

Result: R-5 windows are the most cost-effective energy-saving solution for residential home retrofit projects when replacing single-pane windows and are cost-competitive with other options even when replacing dual-pane windows.

According to Ann’s study, R-5-and-above windows represent a game-changing entry into the residential replacement window market and into the broader realm of energy efficiency retrofit options. While in the past, window replacement was not typically viewed as offering a good return on investment from an energy perspective (though often attractive for reasons of improved comfort), it should now be considered routinely for home energy retrofit projects.

Question #2: If I’m building a new home, which energy variables have the greatest influence on the overall energy performance of a new home?

Energy variables studied included building orientation, wall insulation, roof insulation, window area, window R-values, window solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC), and HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) equipment efficiency.

Result: Window R-value often has the greatest influence on energy performance compared to other common energy variables. High R-value windows (R-5 or greater) provide excellent energy savings.

In all but one scenario modeled, window R-value (the inverse of U-value) had the greatest influence range of the variables studied. High R-value windows are likely to provide excellent performance benefits in many projects, particularly those with a high window-to-floor area ratio.