How to Build a House That Uses 90% Less Energy!

[@Mark-cq9nq]

I'm 60 years old now, but back when I was 23 we built a super insulated house. Two 2x4 walls separated 24 in on center each. The overall wall is 12 in thick filled with blown cellulose. Full vapor barrier on the warm side, that's what they instructed back in that day. R60 blown insulation in the ceiling. Lots of caulking and tape. The best Anderson Windows and doors we could get at the time. Our heating and cooling bill was almost non-existent. Back then you would have thought we were building Noah's ark based on the looks we were getting from contractors. Used the smallest AC and heating central system made, even that was overkill. It's a lot easier to save energy than to create it some way new.

[@joshdillingham1598]

I'm self building a very similar house right now, 12 inch thick double stud walls, dense pack cellulose, R 60 attic, triple pane windows. I get crazy looks when I explain it to people today. I can't imagine doing it 40 years ago!

[@roger6246]

Add some solar panels and you can be an energy producer- feed the grid! Depending on what state you live in the SRECs can help pay off your solar array quickly.@@joshdillingham1598

[@wintermachine]

@@joshdillingham1598 I put 3' in my attic and packed the walls full and heat bill went to 1/3 of what it was. Now days I put 1" foam after packing the studs with cellulose. Cellulose is still one of the best insulations.

[@blue_beephang-glider5417]

I built my house "Passive" 25 years ago, I have saved who knows how much money because of it, SO why did I not hear you talk about the sun and the orientation of the windows or thermal mass??? Our house uses the sun big windows face the low sun in winter. The opposite side has few windows and lots of brick for thermal storing hot and cold. Grape vines cover and shade the big windows in summer and I prune them right back to let in the sun for winter. In winter with any 60% sunny day we use ZERO hearing! For 20 years we had people asking us about air conditioning we did not have, On 95F days the house was 75F inside. We got a small A/C a few years back to knock off the edge of this.

[@onebrightflash]

I agree with you. I built my Tennessee mountain home 45 years ago to the then Canadian insulation standards and to take full advantage of passive solar features such as the proper sizing of roof overhands to shade south windows in the summer but allow full solar gain in the winter. My large windows are all on the South side with small windows on the North and east. I put all the central heat and air with duct work between the floors so the ducts would be in the conditioned air space. When the contractor installing my central unit, measured all my windows, doors, and insulation and plugged the numbers into his computer he could not believe the results. It showed my house only needed a 2-ton unit. He said he made a mistake and needed to recheck his figures. Then he rechecked his measurements. After the third time he finally told me that his computer program must be wrong. He said he had 17 years experience installing heat pumps and had never installed less than 6 tons for the number of square feet in my house especially with the amount of large glass windows it has. Conserving energy is always good. Besides having a more comfortable house without cold walls in the winter, I believe I was able to retire early because of all the money I saved on my power bills.

[@GarciaCapital]

@@onebrightflash would it be a different standard for building a home in northern Arkansas/southern Missouri? Which direction should the windows face there?

[@onebrightflash]

@@GarciaCapital The standard is the same if you want free winter heat, most of your window area should face South, the lengh of the overhang is determined by the sun's height, your latitude & how long & hot your summer is. The weather is changeing. My house is designed to collect & hold the sun's heat. but now the hot season is longer & hotter than when I built in 1978 & there are no -10 F temps. Today, air tightness, good windows & doors & lots of insullation is whare you should put your money. I do love the view out of my big windows.

[@onebrightflash]

@@GarciaCapital The US is in the northern hemisphere so south facing windows will get the most sun in spring winter and fall. So if you use windows to heat your home the largest wondows should always be on the S. side of the house & you should provide decideous trees or window shades to prevent overheating in spring and fall. As temperatures rise due to climate change, you should consider a low enery LEED built home to reduce heating & cooling costs.

[@mightyconker3903]

The weather is changing due to geoengineering and climate change is the reason they use to impose holodomour style conditions on the 99%. Check out weathermodificationhistory

[@roBLINDhood]

As a former Home Performance Contractor I have never heard such a thorough yet concise explanation of all these great building science principles.

[@roger6246]

Good video but Matt doesn't really cover the benefits of solar power. Look at the total cost vs. energy performance. My house produces 4,000 kWh more electricity than I use each year- and that includes powering two EVs. The Passive House concepts are great and I used them in building but don't forget the solar factor. 9.9kW solar array that is now cost positive after 9 years. So use some of these techniques- HRV, heat pump hot water heater, totally sealed envelope, R60 ceiling, R44 walls, R10 under the slab. So nice to have fresh air coming in with the HRV.

[@jonathancrump31]

Great video! So very true. In 1998 my wife and I built a 2300 sf house. We either subbed or did everything ourselves. We were not really thinking at that time about efficiency but since we lived about 20 miles from the rockwool insulation plant in Leeds Alabama. Guess you see were this is going. My two sons live in that house now. I asked the oldest just the other day how much their power bill was and he said around $120 a month. The house is also pretty close to a very busy road and when your inside, you cannot hear the outside traffic. The rockwool plant at that time would charge maybe $40 for a dump truck load of insulation. My wife insulated the whole house mostly by herself cutting it with a bread knife.

[@aldavison420]

At the university, we studied a project made from all wood construction. No materials for the structure was synthetic; the decking, siding and etc. was wood. The all wood construction was the most efficient home to build and the wood was a sound barrier. We were amazed because it was so quiet and very cool during the summer heat.

[@raybozzer8119]

Hi Matt. I see that technology has improved over the years. Back in 1985 I was living in Edmonton Alberta Canada where the winters can be bitter. I had a four-level split built to the R2000 standard, which was the best standard at the time. It had a lot of the passive items that you mentioned. The insulation values were R60 in the ceiling, R40 in the walls and R20 on all walls below grade. What I noticed when looking at the show homes, most had two furnaces, one furnace for the bedrooms which was 100,000 BTU and another furnace for the rest of the house 150,000 BTU. My house had a 50,000 BTU furnace. In the summer, the house was a lot cooler than outside, and I was asked many times if the house was air conditioned. We need to keep improving on how houses and buildings in general are built. Keep up the good work.

[@superspark813]

Could you make a video break down on the cost benefit of all this extra money you're spending... How long do you see a return on your investment? How does it compare to a traditional house and cost?

[@smersh007]

I would like to see this too. I get it might be better for the environment, but if the payback is 25-30 years what's the point.

[@stevenbaczekarchitect9431]

I have done Passive House for less than $200 sq/ft

[@BrandonContracting]

Return on investment hey? Think about how terrible it is to sit in sweat. To be itchy and not enjoying your house because you have to be in the basement... There's your return on investment.

[@OutNAboutWithBrad]

@@smersh007 It's a nicer, healthier environment to live in.

[@jesseyoung9654]

The other factor which gets overlooked is the extra materials used on these properties. If you're doing it for the environmental benefits, you've got to be honest about the embodied energy of the extra framing, insulation, plastic, etc, used to meet Passive House standards.

[@HighGear7445]

There was a passive house builder a county over from me that built a passive house for a MIT guy with every trick in the book applied to it. The MIT guy studied passive in Europe and had ideas of his own to try also. I got to talk with them both and tour the house under construction. That guy was planning on selling these type houses and nothing came of it. That was 15 years ago when energy was far cheaper. People would pay extra for a nicer kitchen ect vs energy efficiency . Things may change now.

[@kuzadupa185]

Any ideas of his youre able to share?; did HE share any of these ideas, maybe published somewhere on a website

[@AqoussRec]

isn't that hard, "The MIT guy studied passive in Europe"

[@brunovanclemen7584]

I live in Flanders (Europe), I built my house in 2011 with this air pump heat recovery system. It is fantastic! It gives a very nice climate in the house.

[@redwhite_040]

Lucht of bodem warmtepomp?

[@migy5031]

Hi Matt. Thanks for the useful information about passive technologies, but I’m surprised you didn’t mention the importance of solar considerations. Proper building orientation and window placement to capture the sun’s energy in colder months and minimize heat gain in warmer months costs nearly nothing.

[@benzun9600]

Yup we built our house that way 1 year ago. It has been going on for ages

[@bahopik]

You should do a video that goes along with this one, doing cost analysis how much the old house costed to heat and cool over its life span of 50 years, versus how much it would have costed if it was built to passive standard considering that solar panels weren't a thing back then or efficient later on, to show how much money better built houses can save.

[@cayamoen2560]

Matt, absolutely love your channel. There is such a wealth of knowledge and information and beautiful presentation. I also love how you seek out and share the latest and greatest technology and pass it on to your viewers. My wife and I reside just outside of Savannah, Georgia in a small apple pie and blue ribbon Town. A town that resembles how America used to be in the golden era of the 1950's. I am in my late 40's and my wife in her early 40's....we just recently had our first child (daughter - 10 months old) and have purchased 10 acres of land that contains 50 to 70 year old pine growth. We are in the process of smartly clearing out some of the trees for a long winding driveway that will lead to a build site under the pine and Magnolia tree canopy. We are going for more of an estate feel rather than just building a home on a 1/4 acre build site. We call it our own botanical gardens in the forest......native wild flowers and vegetation lining the driveway as you approach the home, a thinned out and healthy forest floor to attract wildlife and a home that seamlessly builds a partnership with the land and surrounding environment. To achieve all of this, we are intending to hire Mrs Jane Frederick of Frederick and Frederick Architechts and the current President of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). She and her team are located in the Hilton Head / Beaufort, South Carolina region just across the border from us and they specialize in building luxury homes in hot and humid climates like we have here in the low country (Southeastern. Georgia). My question to you is this.....we are seeking to build the most advanced home to date when it comes to energy efficiency, acoustics or sound dampening technology, solar technology, advanced electrical and wiring grid and air quality. I would love your input on product lines and or new cutting edge technology that the public may not be aware of. Also, what windows would you recommend? We are not worried about cost and are looking for the highest of high end windows that can take on this ruthless Georgia sun and beat it. We would love to pick your brain and hear your ideas. Thank you for this outstanding channel and the wonderful content you put out. Keep up the great work sir!

[@callmeswivelhips8229]

I'm glad this standard exists. Now I have an even better idea of why I _definitely_ prefer natural building techniques.

[@janiskyynarpuu1177]

i have build houses like this for years in europe(estonia, sweden, finland)...and your friend steve tolds all that what we have use/done meny years... i thoguht long time ago..when americans will start building like that!... And now you have made it. AWESOME

[@instanoodles]

Its amazing how much you can save. I have a house built in the 70 in Eastern Canada that I have been slowly working at. Air sealing to 1 ACH50, foam on the house, R60 in the attic with triple pane windows. Completely heated with heat pumps even during the winter, has cut my energy consumption by 60% and CO2 emission by almost 80%.

[@elbuggo]

Why is cutting the CO2 emission important? The ocean will eat all surplus CO2 anyway. The ocean has dealt with volcanos for billion of years, and it is still doing fine.

[@BenKlassen1]

@@elbuggo Because now that the EPA has mandated that semi trucks get way worse fuel mileage due to all of the useless required emissions systems resulting in increased CO2 truck emissions, others have to cut their CO2 emissions to make up the difference. (Bad) government: fixing it until it's broken. Have a nice day.

[@jl9678]

But have you recouped the cost of the sealing, foam, and triple pane windows? Sometimes spending a small fortune to save on your energy bill is not that wise. Sometimes.

[@jl9678]

@Steve Slade truer words have never been spoken. Passiv Haus is still a waste of money. To wit- a code minimum house with solar panels will cost less and save more monthly than a passiv Haus with no solar pv

[@Nicholas-f5]

@@elbuggo that's a myth

[@donreinier7281]

We built a ranch in Iowa 2 yrs ago. Applied lots of your tips into the build. Out in the open, top of hill..yep lots of wind! Added metal roof, and built our own solar. Lots of work, but so much cheaper than our older, smaller ranch. Thanks for the tips!!

[@bhami]

Next I'd like to see you do a video on how you could apply similar techniques to a remodel: interior only, exterior only, or both.

[@rupe53]

bhami ... many times older homes are tightened up on the outside s part of an update where new windows and siding are part of the plan anyway. They just add several inches of foam insulation before the finishing materials. That's typically good for a 50% reduction in heating / cooling bills.... and the house is worth more at resale.

[@nashdashflash]

I'm beginning a major remodel of a 2-story + basement true brick (3 brick layer deep walls) house from the 1890s soon. Would love ideas on interior insulation that allows the brick to breathe (dry out) and stay healthy while sealing the inside. Unfortunately exterior insulation isn't practical here.

[@damianrico2433]

I agree I would like to see if there is a way to retro fit those techniques in an existing home

[@rupe53]

@@damianrico2433 The biggest issues you are likely to face on an older home are going to be the compromises you are willing to make with original details to gain efficiency. Replacement windows or at least retrofit storm sashes are a must, along with finding and sealing all air leaks, especially with (probably) a rock foundation. I went through my 1910 home, which was in rough shape, added insulation, sealed drafts, new doors and windows. I kept the outside flavor using 1 over 1 style double hung in double glaze / high E then finished the trim outside with 5/4" x 5" wide board. From the street all you notice is the full screen. Old homes had full screen anyway but wooden frames. During the renovations I also updated the heating system, all electrical, and eventually added central AC. Inside, I had to do away with the old plaster walls so more insulation, sheetrock, and new trim. Doing the inside myself cost around $1,000 a room over a few years. All of the exterior, including new doors and windows, professionally installed was close to $14k. The updated heat was figured into the other costs. (hot water BB) The central AC was additional cost. ($4K?) I did place the equipment and run the ducts myself to shave a bit off. Also did my own wiring and plumbing. (I'm in those trades) I basically cut my heating bill in half.

[@leestevens446]

@@nashdashflash Hint: you will not get good, comprehensive information on this channel. Go to Building Science Corp website, and do the work to review their extensive list of published research/ white papers/ etc. I am not going to do all your homework for you, but I will tell you they have some really excellent material on deep-energy retrofits for existing masonry structures. In some climates, doing the wrong things can destroy an old masonry structure quite rapidly. Moisture management is CRITICAL. Research and read to understand why. I have done a limited amount of this sort of work, and one must approach with all due care. The biggest issue is setting the goalposts for an optimum set of compromises between immediate energy/ comfort performance and long-term durability.

[@jvin248]

+1 on the windows winter/summer. I've found that reflective film is more important than adding that third glass layer. Bounce the summer heat back out and bounce the winter heat back in. I've used Gila Heat Control Platinum. Matt, I'm sure you have access to better materials.

[@willywonka8730]

High School Physics - once I applied it saved me over $1000/year AND provided me with my most comfortable summer EVER in Phoenix. I used the principle of thermal mass to cool my house down to 70 degrees F. Then I shut down my refrigerated air conditioning during peak load hours (3PM to 8PM) using a programmable thermostat. My house never got above 80 degrees during that time. The cooling that I had stored in the walls, floors and ceilings the night before provided me with comfort during those blazing hot 112-117 Degree summers we are noted for. My summer bills dropped below $200/month from nearly $400. My house is block and stucco sitting on a slab foundation with a flat foam roof and double pane windows and sky lights. Another tip If your flat screen TV is warm to the touch and you live in southern climes - get ride of it. The new ones are far more efficient and the new one will pay for itself in a year.

[@actionjksn]

Night time in Phoenix is 100 degrees in the summer.

[@iwantosavemoney]

You mean you must said a lot to just say you stop using power at peek times to save money with a lot of filler

[@willywonka8730]

@@iwantosavemoney For the sake of brevity - You're a fool.

[@Firestorm637]

Love your videos with good information. I live in Hawaii where electricity is 37 cents/kWh. I installed solar panels, powerwall battery storage and an EV car. I save $600/month on gas and home electricity. Plus I have power with power outages and sell extra energy to the Grid.

[@stevenbaczekarchitect9431]

Aloha!! - that's awesome. I live in Aiea Heights for 3 years

[@Nicholas-f5]

Agreed, tiny house and electric car here too! 👏🏽

[@TimeLapseTowboater]

Matt, when you get to the end, can you do a video to go over how much this house would cost to a new client as a turn 🔑 house without any sponsors.

[@davidlamberson5435]

As always good video. I am a home handyman, mechanic, do it yourselfer kind of a guy and I am such a geek for building tech. I am 62 and retiring in a few years. Building tech has gotten so cool in the last 20 years I wish I had chosen to go into the home building trade. Keep up the good work!👍 David L Lamberson, FS1, USCG, ret.

[@peterh1700]

@Matt Risinger, there appears to be a missing joist hanger in the upper right of the frame at 15:10. Is this intentional? Thank you for providing a clean, educational show that the whole family including young kids can enjoy!

[@elie9372]

Great video and informations ! Just a note about the Infrared camera that isn't a good tool to measure heat loss near windows. As it's mostly transparent to IR you will have trouble finding the right emissivity and measure the temperature of the glass. And even harder to get to heat loss. But putting a black opaque surface on your window will allow you to have a good idea of the temperature gradient at that point though.

[@michaelguimarin]

Love to see you talk about a fresh air system on this house including humidity management.

[@armandonunez9005]

Best building info on the internet. Period! Thanks Matt

[@StevenBuchanan]

I am in Northern Illinois and when I watch them build a new home they never add exterior insulation to the house or the basement. Those are such easy cost effective ways to improve the building envelope. We get crazy cold here and crazy hot. You want a well insulated house.

[@Nicholas-f5]

Agreed, needs to be required by the energy code.

[@HighGear7445]

I'm in the same area and your right. Try to get a contractor that builds beyond minimum code is like pulling teeth. Several subdivisions your stuck with the builder for that subdivision and most won't be bothered as it's something new to them and out of there comfort zone.

[@InfoNotWars]

I wish you had spoken of an insulated slab as this is the spot where your heat is lost more than anywhere else during the winter. Well worth the little extra. Good job sir

[@TRYtoHELPyou]

I keep hearing you talk about the same stuff for the most part, over and over. And I can't get enough! We need more smart building tech fundamentally. Keep on uploading!

[@stevenbaczekarchitect9431]

That's because it's Building Science not rocket science - building a GREAT house is adherence to a few basic principles....most of which are not chosen to be understood.

[@wjthehomebuilder]

@@stevenbaczekarchitect9431 Steve, I'm curious why you don't upload stuff on your channel? (I've been thoroughly enjoying your content on the build show network.)

[@stevenbaczekarchitect9431]

@@wjthehomebuilder My man,First I'm a planner - I need to make sure when I do it - it's right. I also have a full time 80 hr a week job lol. And my dogs remind me it's time to play now and then. Good things coming your way in the future, unfortunately good things take time.....find me on instagram @stevenbaczekarchitect or my daughter @alexandrabaczek we post good stuff daily...I greatly appreciate your patience

[@stevenbaczekarchitect9431]

@@wjthehomebuilder BTW thank you very much for the support on the Build Show Network!! We need to share, and we need to support each other, and I personally thank you for the support...Long Live Our Buildings

[@wjthehomebuilder]

@@stevenbaczekarchitect9431 Yes we do. It feels like an up hill battle most of the time!

[@patryktokarek1967]

Hi Matt, great exppainer video, love your channel. I think it would be worth to mention one of the most important principles of pasive house design. In my opinion this is the orientation of the building. Maening that you set out your house so that large glazing faces south to enable solar heat gains. And in order to minimise these gains during hot periods you could also plan to design a balcony that shades the glazing or a large tree that limits the amount of heat coming through the summer. The same tree allows the sun to go inside during winter once the leaves fall down. The U value pf your windows is quite high . In my house whichI build now all of the windows have U value below 0.9. Which is getting as a standard on all tripple glazed windows in Europe. Keep up the good job, looking forward to seeing more videos.

[@drjohnson98]

As long as the air quality is ensured and being airtight does not translate to mold and mildew. Passive houses are the new build standard in the part of Europe where I live. They are great when built right to avoid mold and mildew. In our part of Europe the continuous insulation goes over masonry which is then covered by brick. In contrast, the 70s era house I rent is very poorly insulated over all and has huge thermal bridges built in (for example, stone sills that go from outside the house to the inside - you could store butter on them in the winter). I rented a 100+ year old farm house here before this 70s era house and the 70s era one is about as bad as the 100 year old in terms of insulation. Passive house concepts are a huge leap forward.

[@WolfgangFeist]

Congratulations. These are the important topics: Healthy, comfortable, durable - these are the key goals. And the efficiency comes with it. Good success - please report again when you have experience from the first winter and summer.

[@lukekamp]

Thanks for continuing to be an advocate for quality! I’d love for you to talk about why you went with Jeldwin windows on your home and also the specs of those which contribute to heat gain and air sealing.

[@actionjksn]

He went with Jeldwin because that's who paid him. I use mostly Jeldwin because they are cheap and not bad quality. When I replace the windows in my own home it will probably be either Pella or Anderson because they are better. He probably used premium Jeldwin so I'm sure they're fine but they are known as contractor grade windows. Definitely not the best.

[@recyclespinning9839]

Nice to see a builder interested in construction, instead of just profit, and the latest trend to make it marketable..

[@freedom_aint_free]

Texans did not see this yearly 2021 winter storming coming, how did the house fare in this year winter temperature drop ?

[@Ang.0910]

Am I the only woman that enjoys watching these videos for educational purposes only? I’m not a construction worker/architect/designer or anything of that nature. I just like to know how houses are built and how to do things myself. I like woodworking and building my own things but I feel that’s rare for a woman especially where I live! Maybe one day I’ll be able to build my own home (with help of course) but for now I enjoy picking up the knowledge that Matt puts down. Thanks Matt! ✌️

[@studdruppo]

I never got into building and renovating until I met my wife. She does most of the drywalling and plumbing. Currently we are building a small cabin along the Missouri River and are having the best time of our lives. She told me once the best way for gal to meet a handy guy is to hang out at Home Depot.

[@Ang.0910]

Craig S well then to Home Depot I go, haha just kidding. Enjoy your build; it sounds beautiful

[@studdruppo]

@@Ang.0910 wild, wonderful of grid kzbin.info/www/bejne/eJ_cknWGmsp-d9E

[@tolaa3653]

Great video. But I wanted to point out that more windows don't necessarily mean less efficient. Example: "Underground houses" If you build it facing south, bury the back and sides of the house in dirt (thermal mass, stays at the year-average temperature) and put a glass facade in such a way that most of the winter sun hits that backwall on sunny days, this light can heat your house up good. Of course, you should still look for a low U-factor and so on. But it all depends on how you use those windows. As long there is some sunshine and you have a means to store that energy (that thick wall in the back), you can use it for heating too. At least thats how ive understood this. Correct me if I'm wrong

[@dropkickyouass]

Thank you for creating this content for those living in the South! The only comparable content in my opinion has been This Old House & Ask This Old House, but they seem to cater more towards those in the North and Northeast based on where they originated. The only thing one can can really do is teach what you know. Keep up the great work and continue posting this content! I'm not a builder. I'm just a nerd homeowner from Oklahoma that's been a South/East coast homeowner since 2009.

[@hippie-io7225]

Love this video! When my home was built, I also insulated the inside walls. The advantages were; better inter-room acoustics and less transfer of heat/cool to unused rooms.

[@BigBirdy100]

And if you use a woodstove, not good.

[@Nicholas-f5]

@@BigBirdy100 wood stoves are very polluting

[@SwimBikeRunFastest]

Outstanding timing. I've been watching your videos for about a year but I spent 6 hours researching passiv house standards yesterday. Really interested in this concept.

[@d.a.9937]

Another goldmine of essential knowledge for better building. Thanks for your generosity all these years, Matt & Co. God bless y'all.

[@jameskniskern2261]

Straw. STRAW! Matt, our house is post and beam with straw bale infill. Hay isn't used in construction due to its high food value and much lower R value. And your condescension for natural building is noted.

[@aeridyne]

Nice video. I wanted to implement some of the passive haus standards on my build over 10 years ago now but there just wasn't much knowledge here about it at the time. Nice to see it's catching on and more efficient buildings are coming along. I'd love to do a sort of fusion of the best of passive haus along with a more earth based & solar build like earthship or rammed earth.

[@ze_german2921]

I also live in a Hot Humid climate in NC and when I renovated my 60's Brick home, it had no wall insulation when I gutted the home so I did the poor-man's spray-foam technique by using 2" owens pink foam board and foam spray cans to fill the wall cavatie's. Nothing like you are doing but this channel inspired me to experiment. My little house is doing a much better job keeping cool. Unfortunately I still suffer from thermal bridging.

[@stevepailet8258]

Matt if you take and put bi facial solar panels on those metal frames it will look really cool.. give you great shading similar to using a colored poly panel. Plus you can have a little solar to run all your exterior landscape and sconce lighting.

[@TheCookster64]

My dad did something similar to the house he had built in PA. Doing so saved him a TON of money to the power company. Many power companies will give you a major discount in your electricity rates if your house has X, Y, or Z certification.

[@TheVcasf]

Amazing video. We need more retrofit insulation videos for cold climates

[@johnfithian-franks8276]

Hi Matt, I spent six months in Norway and that really opened my eyes to the way they work, for example when they build an incinerator they build houses around that industrial building and run heat pipes to the houses so that no heat is lost and the houses benefit from the incinerator. They also have a lot more snow then must countries and all their windows are triple glazed and that makes a lot of difference. When I got back to the UK, I upgraded my house from single Paine to triple pain windows and have enjoyed the benefits for over twenty years now.

[@kenyonstewart7120]

Hey Matt, I'd love to see some content on what the techniques and effort would be to apply the perfect wall system and passive house principles to a renovation project with a traditionally vented roof and eave system. Possibilities for converting existing rafters and joists to monopoly framing and whether it would be worth it. Thanks!

[@pbodymathis]

Here in Thailand, SCG builds what is known as a Heim House. It is very similar to what you are doing. Pre fabed out of 4x4 square tubing with insulation sandwiched within, the house is almost air tight. They have a circulation system of Hepa filters that eliminates pollen and other pollutants as it keeps the air pressure in the house at a higher pressure than outside. I could see where this system could be adapted to yours where you would not need the puff of fresh air by bringing outside air through your heating and cooling systems after it has been filtered. You could use the Roman AC method to bring this outside air into the home as well. Just a thought, great video.

[@PrettyxPiratexUK]

More on your new house build please! Love seeing it develop!

[@ouagadougou62]

Great concept. I want to make my next house that way. Last year, I saw a video of a 100+ year old in Montreal upgraded to passive house standard. So, even old houses can be upgraded. A usual passive house has double walls with 30 cm of insulation and 50 cm in the ceiling. Of course the air exchanger is key to that air tight system. In northern climates, you want big windows to heat up your house in winter, whereas in the south, you want small windows to keep the heat out. I hope more people aim for that standard, we can't keep burning fossil fuels wastefully as we have in the past.

[@jarmstrong2564]

Matt, I would like to know more about the ERV/HRV run times. Does it run continuously? Does it only run when your HVAC system is running? Or is it schedule/timer driven? Also, what is the CPM, and is it variable? One last thing, you have not addressed “Makeup Air”. How do you manage the bathroom exhaust fan, kitchen exhaust hood and your clothes dryer? Do they all tie into the ERV/HRV?

[@stevekelly3255]

Great video Matt! The “concept” of a passive house was actually developed in Saskatchewan, Canada in the 1970s. Unfortunately, the aesthetics were a little rudimentary, and so the concept was not adopted by Canadians at the time. German engineers visited the “Saskatchewan Conservation House” and took the concept back to Germany where they developed it into what we now know as passive house.

[@paulmaxwell8851]

I must comment on several comments below. Please DO NOT oversize your windows to pick up more winter-time solar gain in your super-insulated home. We did and we're sorry we did. We followed passive solar guidelines (square feet of south-facing glass per square foot of floor) and although the home performs well at minus 40C (triple-glazed windows) it overheats in the summer if we reach 30C or more. If I had to do it over again I'd reduce that glass area. Overall, we're very happy with the place (R36 floor, R48 walls, R68 ceiling) but as in all unique designs, there are things that could have been done better. Live and learn.

[@MissCiscaP]

I’m currently looking into this as I’m someone who prefers lots of natural lighting in the home but I’d really like it if they didn’t compromise the efficiency of the build to standard - what is the alternative to, say, picture windows or bifolding doors? Or even a skylight/ sky well? How do I get natural light into the home without big/ multiple windows??

[@mrpush2532]

You don't. If you do big windows, they need covering in Summer. Either large deciduous trees, eves that cover them when the sun angle is High, or window shades. Roll downs or people even use grape vines etc to cover during summer.

[@robertsparling]

I'm just finishing my house in Germany. I built on a poured concrete basement with a cement mixture that prevents water from coming through the walls. In Germany, basements are traditionally covered with a cement roof which makes the house build like building on a slab. Insulation starts in the basement. On top of the bottom slab comes 10 cm (4") of styrodur insulation. On the outside of the basement exterior walls come 10 cm again of styrodur. These two installations overlap to minimize the cold breaks. The house is then built on the basement ceiling. Although most German houses are built with blocks, I chose a wood house. The framing is easily recognizable to an American, but it is built with 8 cm (a bit more than 3") of external insulation that also serves as the base for the stucco façade. This covers cold breaks. The wall studs are 6 cm wide but 20 cm (a full 8 inches) deep. With those massive studs, there is no need for the cross braces that are generally code in the US (more on that in a bit). I chose a natural wood fiber insulation for the walls, but it has a similar insulation value to rock wool. The walls are stiffened with 15cm OSB (3/5 inch). OSB is available in several grades, and I chose the grade that also works as the vapor barrier. This requires taping all the seams, corners, top and bottom (for that insect intrusion problem) but there is no additional plastic barrier needed. This OSB sheet also seriously stiffens the frame so the cross braces are not needed, removing another cold break. The interior walls are finished with plasterboard fastened to the OSB. The bottom floor ceiling is built with floor joists in a way that any American would recognize, although with heavier timbers, insulated for heat and sound. Interior walls are insulated for sound and heat as well. The house has in floor hot water heating, and it is common not to heat all the rooms in a house, so the wall insulation. The 2nd floor has not only the insulation in the ceiling below it, but also another 10 cm of styrodur on top of it. Walls and ceiling as on the first floor. Window are of a particularly energy efficient design. They are set into the frame with insulation that also provides a seal to the outside, obviously. The windows, however, open like a door into the room, and when you close them, they close into a 7 chamber seal - no air gets between the window and the window frame. Finally, triple pane glass. A passivhaus also generally must have the heat exchanger that you featured in the video, but the other tricks that take it over the edge are the heating system and a photovoltaic installation. I am fortunate to have a central heating plant that provides my heat and heat for a bunch of my neighbors; that is the most efficient and cheapest heat around, which adds to the passive calculations of the house. Also solar electric panels are a big step towards getting to the passivhaus standard. Indeed some houses having reached a negative balance with solar, meaning that they produce more energy than they consume.

[@robertsparling]

I forgot. Rolladen shutters on the outside of the windows keep the sun from overheating the house in the summer, and help prevent heat loss in the winter.

[@ybaggi]

Next question. How much more on average does a PHIUS house cost to build compared to conventional building?

[@johndododoe1411]

I have no numbers, but all the design work doesn't have to be billed to each house, it can be part of the prefab design for a house building company that did it before selling house projects.

[@JimDory]

Good work! I'm learning stuff (gotta look up how to do eaves on a house like yours). In the 1980's I started building super-insulated homes in northwest Alaska, using double wall construction. Visqueen vapor barriers with Tremco sealant at all penetrations/seams, HRVs, and lots of fiberglass insulation. I got to sit on the governor's advisory board for developing the Alaska building standards (ok, bragging here -sorry) and got to listen to fellow board member contractors argue how a house has to breath and, effectively water down the standards. Been out of the business for awhile now, but notice some local builders now using bituthane (sp?) or weathershield on the outside of the ply sheathing for a vapor barrier, and really thick foam insulation board outside of that to get that dew point to the outside of the weathershield product. Haven't studied that method much as to fastening siding through the thick foam. I haven't seen the Zip sheathing product hit up here yet (in my region), but perhaps will cost that out for my next house. I'm old now so have maybe one more house in me, if that. Got a small project in mind. Windows - I try to use fiberglass framed ones for less heat transfer than the vinyl and up here, all triple pane. I have a few photos of the old double wall method and some details here on an addition I did on a small cabin: www.flickr.com/photos/jdory/albums/72157609916835662

[@JimDory]

Yes indeed. Hate the stuff. When I was a teenager I worked in a trailer house factory unloading freight cars full of big rolls of fiberglass. Breathed a ton of it from the way my throat felt afterwards. Up here, no slabs in houses - all pretty much on permafrost so block and pad foundations (a few on piling but those jack up from frost unless a ton of money spent on them) and not much sun in the winter. So triple pane all the way.

[@JimDory]

Very good plan. I designed a solar home down in the states once that used a vault full of rock to store heat. Well aware of thermal storage. I'm at 64.5 deg. latitude though so there's no heat in what little sun we get in the winter - better to keep heat in.

[@Jookyforever]

Thank you for discussing how you get the fresh air into the house. This has been one of the confusing items for me around building to high air tightness

[@jamesmathias6973]

I know they sell HRV in the northern states at big box stores (free shipping usually). I have one and I have it turn on 3 times per day for 1.5 hours each time. It is good, I wish I would have bought one that has less ventilation (only 60 cfm) and keep it running all the time but they said for my size house I need a much larger unit but then the heat pump runs a lot more.

[@hendrikx1991]

Nice video's Matt been following for the last 2 years, I'm originally from the flanders in Belgium. Currently am a sparky in new zealand and housing here are shocking to see (even the new build) Really respect you, trying to get all that knowledge out there for better building, this is the future. Sadly its all so expensive, they should promote energy efficiency buildings. Don't let the bad comments get to you, know you get sponsored by some products, but as you said in one of the videos (long time ago) there are other good products out there! Keep up the good work! Cheers!

[@gprae]

Building with ICF as the base structure would seem to be the ideal way to build a passive house design. The wood frame structure requires many steps to seal possible air leakage points, for instance, that are inherently sealed with ICF construction. Thermal efficiency, sound insulation, wind and fire ratings are also improved with ICF construction.

[@EXCELSIOR_INC]

I'm a retired carpenter and thought of this 40 + years ago when I was an apprentice, when I was pouring my coffee out of my thermos I started with my electric hot water tank, building a 4' x 4' room around it with it in the center and insulated it to the ceiling Making a access panel for the heating element Then I thought why not do the whole house as it is a big old framed Farm house with huge rooms I traded for my new 1979 Ford truck, Lol I started with the attic, it is rafters not trusses so zero thermal bridging I just kept criss-crossing it until it was about 4 feet deep I had to build cat walk up there to do this, it's still there Then I framed a 2x4 wall 2 feet off the exterior walls and laid down batts on there side to fill the cavity Also zero thermal bridging (never heard of that term till years later) This place is heated with one wood cook stove in the kitchen, that is original to the house Still same old R-1 single pane original windows, although I made them air tight I also framed around the windows at a 22.5 degree angle to let more light in I still live here with my original wife

[@blosphere1234]

We just did a blower door test on my almost-a-passivhaus, 0.45ACH :)

[@d.beaumont9157]

Excellent information, in the 1980s I rented 4000 Square feet of a old woollen mill. It was a basement and it was cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Pretty much like a cave, we used little heat in the winter to make that area cozy. Your house will be brilliant in avoiding the extremes in temperatures. I would love to build from new, land with building permission in the UK 🇬🇧 is expensive and hard to aquire.

[@botheyesopen1]

You should mention that when framing your house you need to ensure your kiln dried wood is in fact bone dry before sealing both the inside and outside as you describe, because if you don’t , that moisture trapped in all your wood will come out over time, and being that you have sealed inside and outside it will manifest inside your walls creating mold mildew and eventually rot. In the different seasons that moisture will travel internally up and down your walls rotting from ceiling to floor . I know this because I am a 30 yr leaky condo and house expert

[@doctoreloi]

How is the process to 'bone dry'?

[@BuildItSimple]

Matt, thanks for all your videos. You add a ton value to all your followers.

[@Thelawnenforcementofficer]

My house is passive aggressive.

[@jamescalbert4958]

🤣

[@thisismagacountry1318]

You should ask it to marry you.

[@james.telfer]

😆 brilliant! Mine must be too with the number of times it's tried to injure me 🤕

[@INSIGHTCO]

Bruh, you almost made me spit my coffee! The comment I was not prepared for

[@jamesoncross7494]

Ok, you funny.

[@jabba334]

I had an old mobile home (1977) which had central air with a return "duct" underneath that drew air from every room. That was until an incident that smashed out the bottom of part of the "duct" and started pulling in nasty air from the in-ground crawl space underneath. I tried to get it fixed but it was so leaky, I gave up on it and modified my air handler with a 20x30 filtered opening (like right in the side of the air handler, lol). Suddenly, a vacuum was being pulled inside the house and MAN did I discover air leaks EVERYWHERE. It was fun getting blasted by hot air around ceiling AC vents, the ceiling connector for the two halves of the house and even the inside wall corners, where a layer of dust was pulled out from underneath the quarter round moulding! I fixed all that as best I could and as a bonus, my electric bill dropped by about 20%. Design matters!

[@dpie4859]

This is the future! Great job.

[@Robboa1]

Canadian here. My 30 year old house has 2x6 exterior walls, which was code even back then. It’d be nice to retro fit an exterior insulation system, but that would be massively expensive given the exterior of my house. Instead, I installed a high-efficiency furnace, that has the option to install a heat exchanger once my a/c needs replacing. Just a different slice of life - from a different location. Our annual temps here can vary between around 40 c (approx 100 F) to -35C (nearly the same F).

[@ecoevo]

Nice Video Matt. We have covered quite a few of these homes, and they are dynamite.

[@mkushin]

I would really love to see a set of details you typically use for sealing transitions and things with the zip system. (i.e. typical sill, etc.)… Thanks for all the videos!

[@clemsontastic]

Great video, very informative! I imagine that the tape and caulk/sealant wears out over time, and the performance of the home decreases accordingly. Is there and data about this, and how rapidly it occurs? I would be interested to know if passive houses need a "tune up" every 10 or 20 years, to keep their performance where it needs to be.

[@kschleic9053]

The tape is pretty well proven to last a very long time. The caulking might fail, but the seams are also liquid flashed... It will be interesting to see in 10-15 years.

[@martyvanord984]

You make a good point in that only time and use will determine long term performance. Computer simulations and lab tests just are not the same as actual real world performance. However one can only make the best current choices and use the best products with diligent attention to detail then monitor. As the results reveal thenselves keep what works and revise what did not. With out even trying, there will be no progress.

[@Siolioli]

So passive houses arrived in USA. Good. Ukraine here. Was designing passive house for myself since 2016, since 2019 its in construction. Differences : I used SIP panels, those are simpler to assemble and easier to achieve air insulation. Instead centralized unit i use decentralized recuperators in every room, had to modify house plan and roof for every room to have 2 access to the outside in diagonal. Those aren't saving humidity thou, they intake outside humidity, yet this is fine for the area. BTW, for cold weather readers : i advice to use water radiant flooring to heat up, water required to have only 2 degrees above the temperature you want in the house. Warm water can be easily obtained by solar panels and stored in big tank to have night reserve. This makes heating of such house almost totally free. AC on the other hand requires a lot of solar panels and batteries, yet its still possible since insulation helps to keep cold inside.

[@brettmoore3194]

Need to show the finished product working with thermal imaging

[@leonmilner9994]

Hi Matt, as I understand it, the main difference between an HRV and ERV is the moisture retention. I live in a cold northern climate (Yellowknife NWT) and would likely prefer an ERV as the climate is still quite dry here. So not really wanting a "heat" recovery ventilator because it's a heating climate like you mentioned. Thanks for the great video!

[@leonmilner9994]

Also I like what you said about Asthma! I heard about a child not needing a puffer anymore when the family moved into a net-zero home. Not making any promises but I can't wait to see how it is finished, and how your family enjoys it!

[@jmartlncln]

Man I love this channel! I always learn something new and practical and the way you present things is very easy to watch without losing interest! Thanks for doing this!

[@glen748]

I would like to see a video on what could be done to improve a older home that was done to normal contractor grade standards. What would you do to improve said house first, second, etc.? Thanks for all the education you provide.

[@mrgylex123]

Can you talk about those metal/glass window awnings. Look really nice, I'd love to do something similar for my home where lots of water sheds on an east facing window

[@begarbha]

thanks matt, i appreciate your intelligence and integrity.

[@Devin82m]

This is pretty fascinating tech, I imagine is costs a fortune to build a new house that way, let alone try to remodel and existing one to follow the standard. The other issues I see is that the model still uses wood for framing, when steel is far superior. So how do you handle power outages in such a house when you have to bring in outside fresh air via an electric ventilation system? I'm not arguing, and I'm don't assume I know more, I am asking these questions to understand and hope some day I could have something like that built, but I have concerns.

[@alanpleiman3378]

If power is out, open the windows.

[@normbograham]

once worked on a house, with a double roof deck. between the two roof decks, there is an air space. So, the air heats up, and rises up out a copula. Then the insulation, can be smacked up right to the roof deck in the inside of the attic. The air space, was 1.5". ( a 2x4). The eve vent, goes down to the eves, and has a hardware cloth. The overhang, was 2' on every side. I think the house was built, in 1950-ish, in NC. Functionally, the attic works so much better, because it's "inside". There was an insane amount of wood used to build the roof deck/attic.

[@cltinturkey]

Can you do a video on ways to make an existing house (standard brick construction with plaster walls on above-ground walls and sheetrock in the basement, rockwool insulation, and casement windows throughout) more energy efficient? That would be really useful since not too many people are planning new, from-scratch construction. Thanks for considering.

[@johndododoe1411]

Classic tricks are more Rockwool layers, additional layers of glass and tighter rubber seals on anything that opens. Classic mistake is to get the moisture barrier wrong, resulting in damp building materials growing mold and rot.

[@cltinturkey]

@@johndododoe1411 Thank you! When I bought the house I upgraded the rockwool insulation in the attic significantly. Messy job, but that definitely cut down on utility costs. Appreciate your suggestions.

[@artboymoy]

Really informative. Looking to build an Additional Dwelling Unit on my property and wanted it to be a passive net zero 900 sq ft home. I forgot that if it's passive enough, I can really cut down on what I need to heat and cool it. Possibly use in floor heating and a small AC unit...

[@zookiatookya320]

Weird question, if the house is really efficient, does the internal temperature and external temperature have a massive difference between the two? I'm asking because I'm not sure if doing that will affect the expansion of the house.

[@coachcal4876]

Yes

[@tlangdon12]

Actually, it reduces the expansion because the materials that structure is built with always stay around 67F. They don't really expand or contract at all. The external insulation protects the internal structural materials from the extremes and variations of the outdoor temperatures. So while the external sheathing has to deal with expansion and contraction over the the full range of temperature variation, the internal structural elements don't. The external sheathing isn't structural, so it can be designed to expand and contract as much as needed.

[@jc_usa_21502]

I agree with you 100% - I refurb houses to rent them and I make them as insulated as I can to keep my tenants bills low for ac and heat - I often replace 100000 btu furnaces by a 3 ton heat pump (inverter) and the tenants are comfortable even when it's 10 degrees for a week , heating Bills don't get over 120 in winter.. every time I try to do better and more insulated ;-)

[@The_R_Vid]

I live in a challenging building environment (-40C to 32C every year, and 90+ km/h gusts regularly). And would be very interested to see PH envelope details for those extremes on one house. Someday I'll get around to doing my own modeling, but it hasn't hit the top priority yet.

[@iunderscoream]

That sounds like where I live. Do you follow Green Energy Futures? They’re based in Edmonton.

[@infiniteadam7352]

Loving watching these videos again. I remember when they came out, I would love to build my own home.

[@wjthehomebuilder]

Everyone harps on being "too tight," then forgets about the fresh air systems which ALWAYS go hand in hand!

[@kenbrown2808]

"my house isn't too tight, because I have a fan running 24-7 to bring air in." yeah, still not buying the logic.

[@TheM479]

@@kenbrown2808 You bring in the air from outside and before blowing out the inside air it goes through a heatexchanger. You get fresh air without loosing the heat/cold you put in. The Fan uses allot less energy then the AC/heater

[@shockingguy]

Ken Brown It’s not Voodoo magic it’s science. Take a moment to learn about it before engaging mouth and keyboard these things are facts and they are and should be the next way to build anything it’s insane how much energy we throw away and money. In Europe you can’t build this kind of crap to traditionally especially in some countries. The shit we build in the United States is hideous,

[@kenbrown2808]

@@TheM479 yes, I know how they work. that's how I know the blower is running 24/7.

[@kenbrown2808]

@@shockingguy I remember when tyvek was the next way to build houses. now tyvek is a swear word in my area. I remember when CPVC was the next way to plumb houses. now CPVC is a swear word. PEX, has done okay, so far. techno housewraps seem to be back. drain weave has gone from something the good builders put over their tar paper to something that is required on all houses where I am.

[@chrisbrett4278]

Hi great video showcasing the passive huas standard of building. It's great to see the reduction of HVAC/air con/heating achieved, however you haven't mentioned any renewables associated with your build (e.g. solar, battery storage, wind, air or ground source heat pumps etc). It would be good to see if your doing anything with these at the same time during your build?

[@panchonorthmann6408]

It's probably a bit unaffordable for me to build to this level, but I hope to use a few of these solutions on my new house.

[@stevenbaczekarchitect9431]

Exactly the attitude when watching these viedos. They are a compilation of ALOT of ideas, put the ones you can to work for you!! Great Comment!!!

[@Chris_at_Home]

We built a double stud wall home and put in a HRV. Last winter we used less than 500 gallons of heating oil to heat 3000 sqft. I have no idea what the energy efficiency is but I works for us.BTW we have nights that get down to -20s and a week or so of -30s .

[@jimmyfox231]

I think I’ve watched every video you have at this point. I’m considering building a house with R-40 walls and R-50 to R-60 ceiling. Looking to do electric radiant heat and standard cooling unit. Solar to power the whole home. How do you determine the size of those systems with a house with that kind of insulation?

[@paulmcgown7504]

I believe energy star heat pumps are more efficient (and cheaper) per square foot than radiant heat in the floor. Though I confess, who doesn't enjoy a heated floor in the bath? Very, very approximately, allocate 1 kilowatt of solar panels per 15,000 BTUs of heat pump but calculation involves umpteen moving parts.

[@kenwanless4533]

We built a super good sense home which calls for 2x6 construction on 24" centers. This limits the losses at the studs and also uses a much different over window system to limit the huge loss of the headers.

[@pams2270]

How do you construct you walls? Just curious.

[@timothyreed7709]

To keep with your trend for air quality, have you thought about installing a central vac? I'd say it's a highly underrated technology and is actually quite cheap considering the longevity of the systems

[@ross1116]

Those systems are terrible and its even more terrible to find someone who will work on one. This video is about efficiency. A vacuum has nothing to do with efficiency except that they are less efficient then having hardwood floors you numb skull.

[@BigBirdy100]

@@ross1116 He said air quality!! Clue in; central-vac can have the unit in the garage and protect indoor air quality. I've never had an issue with my central-vac for the 21 years I've had it.

[@strorandompage]

wow this video speaks on how i want my home built.. less bug great heat and cool air exchange

[@jamesonkruger6989]

I'm building a full icf house for myself right now. It sure seems like a lot less work than all this stuff. Ill be curious to compare blower door numbers with you.

[@trtinda11]

i am also building an icf home, super happy with how its going so far, would never do wood again. i also have no osb at all in my build.

[@terryturcotte7494]

Jameson Kruger ICF is the way to go. What type of blocks you using? I like the build block and Nudura blocks.

[@trtinda11]

@@terryturcotte7494 using nudura blocks, really like em

[@trtinda11]

@@nms516 just doing all one story, so not sure about second story levels, however higher up would need a few pours im assuming

[@jamesonkruger6989]

@@terryturcotte7494 nudura 10" basement switch to 6" upper floors and garage

[@enemyofthestatewearein7945]

What I find really interesting about passive house is that it's now starting to find it's way into the mainstream. For many years it's been largely a standard applied to premium self build homes, but more recently it's been applied to social housing schemes and even a small speculative estate in the UK. This is great because we are starting to see the emergence of entry level passive house approved products e.g. low cost MHRV and windows, which makes it easier and cheaper for everyone to get high levels of energy efficiency. Interesting too that the updated 2022 edition of UK building code seems to be somewhat influenced by passive house principals, albeit with the standards set at a lower level.

[@Steven-rn2bu]

I'm curious as to the VOC levels in this house... but love the energy efficiency!

[@ross1116]

The ERV removes off gassing

[@prismalike]

I have about the same system in my house sadly enough not the zehnder but an other dutch brand. I did a co2 test with 4 people and a dog in the room and the air quality was still amazing(500ppm. I can only guess that the voc is gonna be perfect.