often time, when people build homes or buildings, they neglect to take the total cost of ownership into account. people look at the sticker price of the house and forget that the actual amount of money they put into their new home is dependent on renovations they need to make to expensive systems that heat and cool their home, the amount they pay to the energy company, and how often they have to replace things like their windows. passive houses take all of these things into account so that homeowners pay a little bit more up front so that they can save money for years to come. a small investment that decreases future costs and raises the value of your new home is a no-brainer.

the passive house design technique, which is very popular in germany and several other countries in europe, emphasizes some great, green technology like an energy recovery ventilator and triple-glazed windows (see more about these in the video). habitat for humanity is starting to build passive houses across the country to lessen the back-end burden for low-income families that move in so they aren’t slammed with extra costs in the end.

if we want the amount of energy we use to be smaller, we have to start by living smarter. passive house design is a great way for all of us to start making that happen.

habitat for humanity has begun to build “passive houses” across the country in washington d.c., kentucky, and vermont to name a few. what is a passive house? check out this quick video below that explains it:

as the architect in the video, david peabody, emphasizes, “that first cost is worth it when they think of the total cost of ownership, so it’s becoming good business to do it instead of just the right thing.” habitat for humanity has begun building passive houses with just that in mind: the cost of owning a home doesn’t end when you sign the mortgage. low income families often use 40% of their income on energy costs, according to tom digiovanni, head of the passive house alliance in washington, d.c. cutting this cost can be a crucial step that helps more people own homes, as well as stay in those homes once they move in.

it’s past time that we start adopting these energy saving, cost cutting techniques in all of our buildings. and as with most of our country’s energy challenges, there’s no better place to start than at home.