Passive houses

[Rangtsulfätu]

Today the EU announced that as of 2021, all new houses have to be passive houses. Passive houses are houses that are isolated so good that they barely need any power to heat in the winter, or cool the summer.

I'm not sure what to think of this. On one hand it is off course good for the environment, but on the other hand I think the EU is already meddling too much in people's lives. I feel like they are slowly taking away free choice.

[Technowraith]

The United States is encouraging the construction of green homes and SMart Houses. Green homes are houses that are built with a specific amount of recycled materials. They also contain Energy Star power-saving appliances and fixtures. Green homes can be certified and qualify for a government tax rebate. Smart homes are high-tech green homes that contain technology that reduces the houses impact to the environment. Technology included auto-dimmers and sensors that turn lights on and off, appliances that conserve resources, and other things that reduce the houses impact to the environment. Smart home technology ,ay be eligible for government tax rebatesm but the home owner must apply for the rebates.

[El Jacko]

I think its a crackin idea. People are slow, with no incentive to do something they'll carry on as usual. Bring on the cheaply-heated superhouses!

[Rain]

I think about a third of the problem is that people are ignorant/uninformed about just how much we can do and how simple some of the objectives are. I for one had no idea what a "Passive House" was until I looked it up. Thanks for the idea! Can we get some more information?

Thank you guys for not letting the Eco Board die!

[Ash]

Regarding passive houses: Check out strawbale building.

Here in Germany regulations are a pain in the ass, so they made something official - they built a strawbale-wall with 3cm clayrender(the way you usually would build such a wall for a house(hope I got the terms right)) and made a certified flame-test.
The wall passed F90 (withstanding the flames for 90 minutes) which would officially qualify it for multi-story-buildings.

[Rain]

The only worry I have is what if the flames somehow get inside the clayrender? I'm assuming that clay could crack under heat or pressure, or flake off with time. But, no structure is completely without its dangers.

[Toruk Makto]

There is a way to flame retard hay, isn't there? Perhaps that would be sufficient.

[Ash]

I am not completely sure here but I was informed once that most of these regulations are made from a very specific point of view - it is not to safe the building(like I had assumed), but to ensure that the building is stable long enough so the inhabitants can get to safety.

I haven't heard about a way to flame retard hay (which, as I am no expert in these matters doesn't mean anything) but for straw, if it is compressed strong enough there is little air left inside and so it is hard for the flames to "get a hold". Maybe with a flame retardant this trait would be raised even higher.

[Technowraith]

Part of the problem is that the technologies and materials to make passive, green or SMART homes isn't ecoomical yet. A SMART home costs easily two to three times a normal house. The costs of a green home have dropped, as more recycled building materials are becoming available. What drives home sales are the bottom line: how much will it cost up front? A lot of people don't think about the long term savings a passive, green, or SMART home can generate. Just like solar panels, the up front costs scare a lot of people away from the technology. However, the long term energy savings is more than lucrative. The same will hold true for the housing sector once passive, green, and SMART homes become mainstream.

On a side note, today was the installation of the final 200 square feet of solar paneling on the roof. We are now officially at 2000 square feet of solar paneling.

[Rain]

How much $$?

[Rangtsulfätu]

I know passive, green and SMART homes cost a lot more upfront, but that isn't really a problem because construction companies can earn more so they do more to promote those. (capitalism is saving the planet! )
In my country (probably other countries too, but I'm not sure) you can actually rent a passive house for a few days to try it out. That seems to convince the people to build one of they own.

I've been trying to find some more info. I have found an English site to promote passive homes:
http://www.ecobusinesslinks.com/passive-houses.htm

I've also found a Belgian company that makes building material. Unfortunately, the site is only in Dutch, but I'll post it anyway because this at least has prizes of the various types of building material.
http://www.passivehouseconcept.com/ -> click "Onze Bouwelementen"

[Rain]

Capitalism will only save the world when it realizes that it requires sentient beings (you and me) to keep buying things and it can only get sentient beings by keeping them alive. And to do that, they need to start thinking about ways to keep us alive longer and not burning and scraping the land. If capitalism would realize that they can make money off of green tech and not the same old nasty fuel, then they wouldn't have to hog all the patents for super-efficient models.