Passive Building Practices for Rochester, MN, Homes
Mike Allen Homebuilders applies passive building practices when designing and building your new home. Certified by the Passive House Institute US, we’re among the first in Rochester, MN, to offer this premier level of energy efficiency and indoor comfort in new homes.
What Are Passive Building Practices?
Passive building practices work toward two goals: energy efficiency and indoor comfort. These considerations begin at the design stage of your home and take into account your desires and the environmental conditions. Your home will be optimized for Rochester’s environment—for example, temperature highs and lows, humidity levels, sunlight exposure, and seasonal variations. These optimizations are science-based and calculated specifically for your home.
Passive building optimizations include but are not limited to the following:
- Increased insulation (“superinsulation”). Higher quality insulation is used, and it’s applied more thoroughly around the house, e.g. where walls meet roofs and foundations.
- High-performance windows and doors. Double- or triple-paned windows are chosen based on your unique house and environment.
- Balanced heat- and moisture-recovery ventilation. Continuous mechanical ventilation that pushes stale air out and intakes fresh air provides excellent indoor air quality.
- A just-right air conditioning system. Did you know that one of the most common inefficiencies in homes is an air conditioner that’s too large for the space? We’ll ensure your space condition system is appropriate and efficient for your home.
Wondering what these optimizations really look like in a home? Get in touch, and we’ll talk you through the concrete difference that all this number-crunching can make in your home.
Choosing Passive Building
Choosing to employ passive building practices for your new home is a long-term investment. A home with these optimizations can cost as much as 5-10% more than a typical home upfront, but passive building is about the long game. You’ll have a resilient, highly efficient home for years to come. And as renewable energy becomes the norm, optimized homes designed with passive building principles will become more prevalent. It’s the surest path towards net-zero and net-positive energy homes available today.
Contact Mike Allen Homebuilders to learn more about passive building practices for your new home in Rochester, MN.
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