…but the first certified Passive House retrofit in the country.
A new standard in ultra-low energy design and construction, Passive Houses use the same amount of energy for heating as it takes to run a hairdryer. The Passive house concept was conceived in Germany twenty years ago and has warmed hearts and homes all over Europe. Landing in the United States in 2003, Passive House has been gaining momentum and notoriety (see our recent Re-Nest post) as of late, with the construction of Passive Houses all across the U.S.
If you are interested in taking a closer look at the O'Neill Passive House, public tours will be offered Saturday October 23rd & Sunday October 24th from noon to 4 p.m. $25 entrance fee, all proceeds to be donated to Habitat for Humanity.
Images: Ned Bonzi Photography
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Love it!
omigod I'm so ready to move in.
Absolutely gorgeous.
Wow! I sure hope this is the future of housing in North America--it's gorgeous! I never would have guessed you could have so many big windows in a passive house and I love the kitchen and bathroom in particular.
I'm wondering about all the track lighting, though. I understand that passive houses are heated in part just by the bodies of the occupants and the heat radiating from lightbulbs and appliances. Do you think the track lights are an aesthetic choice or do they serve some additional function in the home design?
Beautiful and functional ... a dream home!
What a gorgeous house! Sonoma is gorgeous anyway!
The fact that the patio table appears to be taking a leak freaks me out.
Also can someone explain to me why ALL eco-houses have more light fittings than nails in them? Is it a statement, ie this house is so "green" that we can afford to have 4000 lights? Or do these people simply have no sense of irony?
This is beautiful. One of the things I love the most is that there's no grass :-)!
Want to live here. Love the color palette and the natural light...
Lighting is a concern in Passive Houses and the comments posted are good points. However, in this house ninety percent of the lights that were used are either CFL's or LED's. All track lighting uses the Helios LED Head initial 5.8 watts and stabilized at 4.9 watts (also dimmable). This is substantially different than a common MR16 low voltage incandescent fixture or PAR 30 please compare wattages. The house has an abundance of natural light in the daytime and at night depending on the owners preference there are multiple lighting options. Passive House does need to meet a Primary Energy requirement of ≤ 120 kWh/m2/year (38.1 kBtu/sf/yr) so all energy use is scrutinized. Currently this house is tracking a LEED for Homes Platinum rating and for lighting we are anticipating maximum points for EA8.
Blandwagon, I was thinking the same thing about the patio table. I still think it is great. I just feel sorry for the poor bloke whose place setting bridges that water trough. They have to put up with a wobbly chair AND a wet lap.