The Passive House Build: Getting the Mechanicals Right
A carefully designed mechanical system rounds out this house’s heating and cooling load.
Synopsis: Although a Passive House is designed and built to be heated primarily by the energy from sunlight, there is almost always a secondary source of heating. Architect Steve Baczek explains the choices that were made in this energy-efficient home in Cape Cod—from the reason he chose a ductless minisplit heat pump, to his experimental plan of using the house’s energy-recovery ventilator (ERV) not only to bring in fresh air but to circulate the conditioned air from the single minisplit. Photo: David Fell, courtesy of Steve Baczek
Although many superinsulated houses are designed and built to be heated primarily by the energy from sunlight, there is almost always a secondary source of heating. The house shown here, which was covered in a recent series of five articles and videos, is no exception. It receives 50% of its total required heating from the sun — with another 25% from…
Start your 14-day FREE trial to access this story.
Become a member today and get instant access to all Fine Homebuilding content!
Start your free trial nowAlready a member? Log in
