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Passive housing

Posted on June 28, 2010 by Greg Martin

mixed-use-sun-300x223While the focus on conserving energy seems mostly focused on renewable energy, there is another alternative that can also complement other sustainable practices. Passive housing design incorporates building orientation, window types, building materials, etc. to capture and store as much solar energy in homes as possible. A friend of mine, Melissa Baldridge, writes on her post, Live Outside the Box, on June 15, 2010, that energy costs are nearly zero for houses designed to be so tight that they joke “that you can heat them with a hair dryer.” It is an interesting read. In it she highlights the benefits that the Europeans are experiencing from housing standards which promote energy conservation. If we can figure out how to incorporate some of these techniques into mixed use and multi-family projects, then there could be substantial operational costs savings. Whether the tenants or the owners are saving money, there will be value created.

This entry was posted in Housing, Sustainability and tagged mixed use, energystar, LEED, solar, sustainable design

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