The First Passive House…


in New York state, that is. Oh and guess what, it is for sale. With that said the information that it is being raised on Millbrook Road in Claverack surrounded by 6 acres is needed.

Stock Photography - BLUE HOUSE,BLUE SKY, WHITE WICKER FENCE
© Photographer: | Agency: Dreamstime.com

The first thought upon hearing the name is-what is it?!?! Images of people being eaten by lions while the house sits idly by flash through my mind. Yes, I know, I do have an active imagination. Banishing those ghastly daydreams, the central theme of the passive house comes into view-energy conservation. To the tune of 90%. The house is well-insulated. In fact, it is air tight. A mechanical air filter exchanger is working constantly to move fresh air throughout the house. This same system allows the new air to be heated or cooled at will, bringing down the energy bills.

Now, I always thought most homes were supposed to be airtight except for older farmhouses and house trailers. Perhaps my standards are a bit higher than most builders, of even recent vintage.

300 Watts heating per person can be delivered by a fresh air heating system. I would be interested in hearing more about a passive home. Is sounds fun to live in. Why? You don’t have to worry about the heating or cooling bills. The house takes care of itself. Hooray!

Related Blogs

GreenHouse – a novel idea


So greenhouse has to do with plant energy — that is how this article relates to solar energy plus dot net, right? I can see those brain wheels turning. Answer – not really.

GreenHouse is two things at UW-Madison with CALS Department of Community and Environmental Sociology Professor Jack Kloppenburg heading it up. Newly housed in the old Cole Hall, GreenHouse combines many different UW-Madison’s programs or interest groups. This includes cooking to gardening to solar living to community gathering. Secondly, it is a state of mind of being sustainable. According to Dr. Jack Kloppenburg the definition of sustainability includes ” both the biophysical world and the social context. It’s about creating an environment where no one is in need, where we are mindful of our impact on our natural resources and on other people.” Stock Photography - Solar Details© Photographer | Agency: Dreamstime.com

To that goal, they will be adding solar collectors to the roof of Cole Hall and greening up the one stove – one refrigerator space in the basement to make it a community gathering place where they learn to cook meals for each other and more.

I love the concept of interdisciplinary studies. Isn’t this how a person lives once they leave the school environment? Perhaps if our schools had been more integrated with the community, then ideas that “that sounds too much like ’school’” wouldn’t be shunned by many older individuals. GreenHouse encourages faculty to get out of the classroom and the lecture halls and interact with the students and other faculty in learning and sharing innovative ideas and down-home training as well.

University Housing Food Service staff fully supports this with foodservice classes offered in the future which will include simple cooking techniques. Dr Jack Kloppenburg envisions students returning from the farmer’s market on the Madison Square and in no time preparing them for lunch or supper from the knife skills taught them.

Looking to hear more about the solar collectors and how efficient they are able to make them. Stay tuned here and to http://www.cals.wisc.edu/grow for all energy happenings.

Previous Articles

Solar Energy System Fuse Box


Solar Energy Change Controller


How to Connect an Inverter for a Solar Energy System


Standard Inverters for Solar Energy


How to Perform a Charge Test on a Solar Energy System


Battery Banks for Solar Energy


Solar Power Balance of System


Meet the Star Gazers Sanctuary


Welcome to My Solar Energy Plus!

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog! Take a second to peek around and check out some of my previous posts. Anything you would like to know more about ? Please leave me a comment!

Monthly Posts

Categories