The passive house concept

Nice News -  With energy bills rising and climate change worsening, passive houses have become popular in much of Europe — and now they’re gaining traction in the U.S., too. Passive house, a construction concept first developed in Germany, describes buildings designed with energy use and emissions in mind. Such buildings are airtight and well-insulated to keep heat out during warmer months, and in during colder months.

“A typical building is like a sieve you use to strain pasta, where air is moving through the walls. A passive house is more akin to a thermos,” Ken Levenson, the executive director of the Passive House Network, told Insider.

The nonprofit released a report last month detailing the benefits to individuals who go the passive house route. The study, which looked at 45 multifamily passive house buildings in New York and Massachusetts, found that residents’ heating and cooling bills were 30%-50% lower than average.