Hudson is getting so passive

Mike Paulus |

I just read about Passive House in the Woods (via Jeston Green). The house, to be constructed outside of Hudson, Wis., is 1,940 square feet of single-family eco heaven overlooking the St. Croix river valley. I’d never heard the term “Passive House” before, but it basically means “so energy efficient/carbon neutral it could simultaneously blow the minds of every hippie living between now and 1969.” There are many, very tight energy standards to which a builder must adhere. This particular mind-blower has a whole team of designers and builders behind it, and while it was commissioned by a private client, it seems to be marketed as a sort of poster child home for this kind of home building. Some details:

  • House spans two levels and includes a walkout basement. There’s a heat recovery ventilator, and a 600-foot PEX tube loop field to pre-heat and pre-cool the incoming air stream. No boiler or furnace, although there will be in-floor heating mats with local controls that draw about the same amount of energy as two hair dryers.
  • Perhaps a step further than most Passive Houses, this Wisconsin home will be a net positive producer of energy due in part  to a 4.7 kW photovoltaic array.  In addition, a 40 square-foot solar hot water collector will pre-heat water in a storage tank and provide about 85% of all hot water needs. (Again, from Jeston Green)

Yeah, I don’t really understand half of that, but it sure sounds cool. If all goes according to plan, Passive House in the Woods will actually exceed space-conditioning requirements for the Passive House standard by 25%. And Hudson is the perfect locale! What better place to build a passive house than the midwest, where most people are totally passive to begin with? OH CULTURE SNAP! Anyway, completion is scheduled for late Summer 2010.