February 2024 - Passive House, $250 Heating Bills, and Building Science That Actually Works
WYSL/ Wise Home Energy Show
Jeff Flaherty brings in Matt Bowers, director of building science at the Auro Group, certified passive house designer, and naval nuclear engineer, to talk about what it actually takes to heat a 2,800 square foot home in Rochester for $250 a year. Matt walks through the passive house standard from the ground up: R-40 to R-60 walls, airtightness measured in shot glasses instead of gallons, heat recovery ventilation that captures 85% of the energy from exhaust air, and why all interior surfaces in a passive house stay within six degrees of each other so you never feel cold next to a window. Jeff connects it back to his recent Saratoga conference presentations on why insulation work fails and how to properly treat a Cape Cod, and why he refers new-build clients to Matt rather than trying to be everything to everyone. Plus why the passive house movement is still grassroots, why builders don't know how to sell it, and why a $250 annual heating bill hasn't gone mainstream yet.
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