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Official Blower Door Test Well we've been in the house for almost a year now, and we are just now getting all of the necessary documents sent to Passive House Academy (PHA) for final certification. The big remaining items are: Installation PSI values for our windows - results for this will be in a separate blog post.  Zehnder Commissioning to verify airflow in each room and ensure proper balancing from the supply and exhaust from the unit Official Blower Door Test So this post will go into some depth on what is required for the Passive House Institute Airtight Test Calculate the House Air Volume This is maybe the biggest difference between the ASTM and European Standard. We calculate the air volume of the house from slab to interior drywall and exclude ALL interior wall and floor air volumes. Essentially the "visible air volume" inside the house. Sketchup makes this much easier! I broke up the volume into 4 components Volume of the Basement = 8,888 cuft  Volume of the 1st...

Questions for my wife Many times during tours questions come up that are best answered my by wife. The questions are generally asking for a different perspective from mine. It makes sense. I am, after all, selling Passive House Design and Tradesman services through Airtight Services. So how much can you believe from a salesman?  My wife Brianna has offered to answer some questions from our most recent open house. Here you go! These questions are in no particular order. Hi Everyone! Brianna here. Before I go into answering these questions just know that I am not a designer, architect or engineer. Many of the finishes in our house I found on pintrest. Some of these questions are hard to answer, but I will do my best. What was the biggest challenge with the layout / floor plan in order to keep it "Passive"? Definitely working within the "simple shape" I am really not good at visualizing how large a space will be from the prints, so we ended up with bedrooms on the 2nd ...

2016 RESNET Cross Border Challenge Winner!: For those of you who don't know, RESNET (Residential Energy Services Network) is the independent organization founded to help homeowners reduce their utility cost. They do quite a bit nationally to promote building efficient buildings utilizing tools such as: HERS Index - Essentially a MPG for a house Energy Efficiency Mortgages - Mortgages that Credit a homes energy efficiency in the home loan (you can spend more to build the house because your utility bills will be lower) Energy Audits and Home Energy Ratings - a much more involved energy audit that one offered by Home Performance with Energy Star. It would probably be a great idea for anyone buying an existing home to have one of these audits done. It is far more comprehensive and can uncover some important information for the prospective home buyers A RESNET Rater is one who is responsible for all the necessary field work and energy modeling for a new construction Energy Star Hom...

Rochester Passive House UPDATE! We are planning out next open house for: April 1st from 10-3.  340 Quaker Meeting House Rd Honeoye Falls, NY 14472 Wow, time has FLOWN by! I can't believe it has been 4 months since my last post. So much has happened since my last post!  I have been holding open houses fairly regularly to those looking for a short walk though. I will be presenting at the following conferences in March: 2017 Finger Lakes Building Officals Association - March 14th in the afternoon http://www.flboa.com/2017-conference.html RIT Students and Faculty Location TBD on 3/23 around lunch time NYSERDA Event in the Buffalo on 3/28 at the Millennium Hotel I have an exciting announcement I will be releasing the 1st week in March. I will send out an mass email as well. Now - How has Rochester Passive House Performed over the winter? October     - 345 Heating degree days - No Heat Needed November -  572 Heating degree days - 124 kWh for heating energy -  $1...