The latest news on low CO2 communitities
Ellen Kathrine Hansen of VKR Holding in Denmark spoke in early November at UC Berkeley about her work implementing the Active House vision—creating buildings that combine energy efficiency with the use of renewable energy systems to create a positive energy balance, that provide a superior level of indoor comfort and health, and that generally tread [...]
Harrison Fraker, professor of architecture and urban design at the University of California at Berkeley, gave an interesting talk on 11/2/11 on sustainable, low-carbon neighborhoods. He profiled four low- to zero-carbon neighborhoods. Two are in Germany, and two are in Sweden. What characterizes all these neighborhoods is that they were designed using a whole-systems approach [...]
SIGA COVER Inc. is the newly formed US subsidiary of SIGA Switzerland. The company is best known for its leading role in the development, production and distribution of toxin-free, environmentally friendly and highly durable products for air-sealed building envelopes. Know-how, quality, innovation and a dedication to provide sustainable building materials have been the foundation for [...]
First-Ever Passive House Retrofit Event: Deep Energy Explorations! September 9th PHCA is proud to present an all-day mini-conference hosted by Stopwaste.org, focusing on retrofits to the Passive House standard. Presenters include Dr. Wolfgang Feist himself (via Skype), Lawrence Berkeley National Labs and a host of additional presenters including contractors and owners who have worked directly on [...]
Intro to the PHPP June 27 & 28th, 2011 MIG conference room at Hearst and 5th Streets, Berkeley Cost: $250 ($215 for PHCA members) Thermal Bridge Calculations June 29 & 30th, 2011 MIG conference room at Hearst and 5th Streets, Berkeley Cost: $425 ($385 for PHCA members) Certified Passive House Consultant Sept 13-16th and 4-7th Oct. Pacific [...]
This house was retrofitted using Passive House principles; its energy use is being monitored. (Photo by Nabih Tahan) I recently went to the ACI national conference in San Francisco and heard a very interesting talk by Jeremy Fisher and Brennan Less of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). They are studying deep energy retrofits in [...]
On April 27, The New York Times published an article about the negative reaction in suburban neighborhoods to the installation of solar panels on utility poles. Most Americans are very spoiled about their energy availability. Would the people complaining about having to see a solar panel on a nearby utility pole rather have rolling blackouts, because [...]
Author Steve Mann wrote a great article for Home Energy magazine on the the 2010 North American Passive House Conference in Portland last November, along with a Passive House primer and a list of resources for getting up to speed on the Passive House approach. Here’s what Mann had to say about Recreating the American [...]
Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) and the Passive House Institute US (PHIUS) are collaborating in an effort to synchronize standards, modeling, quality assurance, and quality control for low energy homes and buildings. According to RESNET’s newsletter, the agreement provides for PHIUS to become an affiliate member of RESNET PHIUS will adopt the RESNET HERS Index [...]
450 architects, a Green Business Award-winning community-based design studio and consulting practice located in San Francisco, is committed to timeless architecture and advocates for a sustainable future. Join them in celebrating 15 years of creating beautiful, soulful buildings that exceed their clients’ expectations and are in harmony with the environment and community. Tuesday, February 15, [...]
