‘The Greenest Home’: A Window on 18 Super-Eco Dream Houses
This post has been updated from the original to remove references to energy consumption for the passive house standard, as cited in the book, and a misleading comparison with average energy consumption in American homes based on government data. Each figure was based on very different methodology.
From swapping in smarter lighting to installing solar panels, many homeowners are seeking energy efficiency boosts that can cut bills and lower their carbon footprint. But just how green can a home get? Julie Torres Moskovitz offers an answer in The Greenest Home, a just-released visual and practical guide to some remarkable passive houses around the world. (See related posts: “Green Fridays, Smart Lighting and More: How National Geographic Cuts Its Energy Use” and “A Model Net Zero Home by the Numbers.”)
What is a passive house? “Simply said,” Moskovitz writes, “a Passive House is a building that is very well insulated, virtually airtight, and primarily heated by the sun.” The interior temperature is designed
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