Technology advances and with it homes. Given the increase in prices on the electricity bill, a new type of housing is gaining popularity among the US population. These are passive houses. Although this concept of home came to light in 2006, it is currently when it is gaining more followers.
The middle Maine Public has been in charge of visiting a passive house in the city of Hope (Maine, USA) with the aim of discovering the attractiveness of these houses, which could help fight inflation. Achieving an ideal temperature inside the house without paying a lot of money is one of the priorities of any resident. But how do they work and how much do these promising homes cost?
Energy efficiency
A cheaper long-term home
They are houses designed to have lower energy consumption
This house, belonging to Patrick and Madeleine Mackell, allows it to maintain around 21ºC inside despite the fact that the outside is at a negative temperature, and all without the need for heating. According to its owners, the secret lies in the hermeticity of the home and its insulating capacity, since it manages to maintain an optimal temperature efficiently. For this, all you need is a small heat pump and sunlight.
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Its operation is simple: sunlight enters through a wall of windows on the south side of the house, reaching a solar panel on the roof. Thanks to this mechanism, the family pays only a single electricity bill, the connection fee to Central Maine Power, which costs them about $13 per month.
Alan Gibson, creator of this passive house and owner of GO Logic, points out that such houses usually cost 10% more than conventional houses: “There is more insulation, more care is taken to make sure they are airtight, there is the ventilation system, there are better windows and doors. And it is difficult for people to go beyond, although we can show you quite easily that the economic recovery is there,” says Gibson. In this way, if a conventional house costs around 400,000 dollars, a passive one would cost around 40,000 dollars more.
Eco friendly
What are passive houses?
Passive houses are more expensive, but over time the investment ends up being recovered in the form of savings
There are houses that cost their owners large bills when it comes to being warm in winter or cool in summer, simply because of the structure they have. Faced with this problem, passive houses were invented, which improve energy efficiency and reduce energy consumption without giving up basic needs.
This type of housing was created with a view to making the most of light and solar radiation. Likewise, they have very high insulation and air renewal through a ventilation system with a heat recovery unit. In this way, passive houses have been created mainly to maintain ideal atmospheric conditions inside, becoming a very attractive option with a view to the future.
