Environmentally-friendly builders have long sought to reduce energy use in residential homes, and the “passive house” design has won accolades for several years due to its radical design that allows for heat exchange and insulation while remaining occupant-friendly, with large windows, plenty of natural sunlight and fresh air. Government inertia, industry resistance and a slow economy have conspired to keep the design from wide implementation, especially in North America; fortunately, the design is slowly gaining market penetration Stateside.
The U.S. Green Building Council has recently awarded the 2011 LEED for Homes prizes, naming the most environmentally-friendly residential developments in the United States. Among the recipients is a 1500-square-foot home in Maine that uses the latest insulation technology and building materials to slash home energy use by a stunning 90%. The building blueprint will be replicated in a community of 39 other homes, leading to savings of thousands of kilowatt-hours of energy, as well as many thousands of gallons of heating fuel.
The advantage of LEED-certified homes is not limited to low energy use, but includes the use of environmentally friendly, sustainably sourced building materials, such as green flooring and non-toxic insulation. This ensures that the homes have a low negative impact on the environment through the entirety of their life cycle, and don’t present toxic waste disposal problems when they need to be demolished.
